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THE 

MAKERS 

OF 

AA\ERICA 

WOODBURN 
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COPXRIGHT DEPOSIE 




RING, RING FOR LIBERTY I" 



THE 
MAKERS OF AMERICA 



BY 

JAMES A. WOODBURN 

INDIANA UNIVERSITY 

AND 

THOMAS F. MORAN 

PURDUE UNIVERSITY 
AUTHORS OF "tHE CITIZEN AND THE REPUBLIC," 
ELEMENTARY AMERICAN HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT " 
AND "introduction TO AMERICAN HISTORY" 



LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO 

55 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 

PRAIRIE AVE. AND 25th ST., CHICAGO 

1922 






COPYRIGHT, 1922 
BY LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. 



MADE IN THE UNITED STATES 



JUL'dl 1922 

©CI.A(t74996 



PREFACE 

The purpose of this little book is to set forth in 
simple form the story of some of the most important 
events and movements in our later history. It deals 
with certain "high spots" in our national life. It 
makes no pretense of being a connected history of the 
period which it covers. 

The book is almost entirely biographical. The Com- 
mittee of Eight of the American Historical Association 
rendered a useful service to the teaching of history in 
the public schools by recommending that the history 
work of the fourth and fifth grades should be largely 
biographical in character. Biography interests young 
people. It makes a personal and dramatic appeal 
which is impossible in any other form of presentation. 
And after all, a lively interest in history is more to 
be desired than an accumulation of facts. 

We are indebted to many teachers for valuable 
suggestions in the preparation of this book, but most 
of all to Miss Ida Williams, teacher of the fifth grade 
in the public schools of West Lafayette, Indiana. 

It is hoped that the book will do something towards 
creating an interest in American history and bringing 
about a sound and sane patriotism on the part of the 
younger citizens of the Republic. 

James A. Woodburn 
Thomas F. Moran 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Thanks are due for the use of pictures to the following : 

Old Colony Trust Co. for the New England Village. 
U. S. Naval Academy for Portrait of John Paul Jones. 
Wisconsin State Historical Society for Daniel Boone's Cabin. 
Continental Fire Insurance for Clark's Capture of Kaskaskia. 
Mr. Frederick A. Meserve for Photograph of Lincoln. 
International Harvester Co. for Tractor. 



IV 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

INTRODUCTION — ''THE SPIRIT OF '76" i 

I. JAMES OTIS, "THE FLAME OF FIRE" 8 

II. PATRICK HENRY, THE ORATOR OF THE REVOLU- 
TION 18 

HI. SAMUEL ADAMS, THE ORGANIZER OF THE REVO- 
LUTION 33 

IV. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, THE BALANCE WHEEL OF 

THE REVOLUTION 45 

V. GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE PILLAR OF THE RE- 
PUBLIC 54 

VI. A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 88 

1. Nathan AEL Greene, The Fighting Quaker 

2. Daniel Morgan, A Diamond in the Rough 

3. Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox" 

4. Thomas Sumter, "The South Carolina Gamecock" 

5. Nathan Hale, The Boy Patriot. 

VII. JOHN PAUL JONES, "THE FATHER OF THE AMERI- 
CAN NAVY" 113 

VIII. DANIEL BOONE, THE KENTUCKY PATHFINDER . . 118 

1. Harrodsburg 

2. Boonesboro 

3. The Wilderness Road 

IX. GEORGE ROGERS CLARK, THE SAVIOR OF THE 

NORTHWEST 150 

X. "LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT 

OF THE UNITED STATES" 169 

1. The Inauguration 

2. The Capital City 

XI. ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON PLANTATION . . 181 

\ V 

\ 



vi CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XII. THOMAS JEFFERSON, "THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE" 189 

1. The Louisiana Purchase 

2. Lewis and Clark and the Far West 

3. Andrew Jackson, Frontier Statesman 

XIII. THE HIGHWAY, THE WATERWAY, AND THE RAIL- 

WAY 211 

1. Robert Fulton, Inventor of the Steamboat 

2. DeWitt Clinton and the Erie Canal 

3. The First American Railroad 

4. Samuel F. B. Morse and the Electric Telegraph 

XIV. THE GOLDEN SOUTHW^EST 230 

1. Sam Houston of Texas 

2. The Mexican War 

3. Three Great Frontiersmen: 

"Davy" Crockett, John C. Fremont, ant) 
"Kit" Carson 

4. Sutter's Mill and "The Forty-Niners " 

(a) Captain Sutter 

{b) JuNiPERO Serra, Spanish IMissionary 

XV. THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 249 

1. Daniel Webster 

2. Henry Clay 

3. John C. Calhoun 

XVI. "THE BLUE AND THE GREY" , . . 262 

1. Abraham Lincoln 

2. Jefferson Davis 

3. Ulysses S. Grant 

4. Robert E. Lee 

5. William T. Sherman 

6. Philip H. Sheridan 

7. Thomas Jonathan Jackson 

8. James E. B. Stuart 

9. The Close of the War 

XVIL great AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 297 

1. Agriculture, Mining and Lumbering 

2. Manufacturing — The Steel ]\Iills 

INDEX 305 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

INTRODUCTION 

**THE SPIRIT OF 76" 

Slowly the mist o'er the meadow was creeping, 
Bright on the dewy buds glistened the sun, 

When from his couch, while his children were sleeping, 
Rose the bold rebel and shouldered his gun. 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes 

It would be extremely interesting if you and I 
could go back one hundred and fifty years and see 
our nation in its early childhood. We could then 
walk about the streets of New York and peek into the 
parlors of the quaint old Dutch homes. And what 
curious costumes we would see in the churches and on 
the streets! 

We could stroll leisurely about the streets of Boston 
and possibly we might meet some of the men who 
fought for American Independence and later laid the 
firm foundations of our nation. We might visit the 
New England "Meeting House," and sit through the 
long Sunday services. 

In Philadelphia v/e might see the old Liberty Bell 



2 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

hanging in the State House, and ready to ring out the 
news of the Declaration of Independence. At Charles- 
ton we might see the southern planter loading his bales 




A New England ^Meeting House 

The church, or Meeting House, was the center of the old New 
England town. 

of tobacco on a long, low, sailing vessel about to depart 
for Europe, or we might wander about the broad 
southern plantation and listen to the negro melodies. 
We might enter a small log cabin in a clearing in the 
wilderness, and while there might read in a Httle news- 
paper, by the light of the open fireplace, an account of 
the progress of Washington and his army in their fight 
for Independence. If we looked about us we would 
see the trusty rifle on the wall, and the skins of fur- 
bearing animals scattered on the floor. The spinning 
wheel, the candle mold, and the ox yoke would all be 
in their places, and possibly a steaming dinner of 



''THE SPIRIT OF '76" 3 

wild turkey, pudding, and other pioneer delicacies on 
the table. All this would be new and wonderful. 




Loading a Sailing Ship for Europe 

The sights and sounds of the early morning have a 
pecuhar fascination, and so also have those scenes of 
pioneer life which go to make up the early dawn of 
our nation's history. 

These things would be interesting, but it would be still 
more interesting if we could meet and talk with some 
of the great men who founded this Republic. How 



4 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

should you like to accompany George Washington on 
one of his surveying trips through the western wilder- 
ness? How should you like to stand by the road- 
side and see Paul Revere rush by in the moonlight with 
his horse's hoofs striking sparks from the pebbles in 
the streets? How should you like to sit in the con- 
vention at Richmond and hear Patrick Henry thunder 
forth his famous speech in which he said ''Give me 
liberty or give me death?" It would be interesting, 
would it not, to hear Thomas Jefferson read from the 
Declaration of Independence or Benjamin Franklin 
from his "Poor Richard's Almanac?" 

While we cannot ramble through the highways and 
byways of our country as it was a century and a 
half ago and talk with the Fathers of the Republic, 
it is possible for us to do the next best thing. We 
can read the stories of the lives of the great Ameri- 
can leaders. The life stories of these great Americans 
constitute the History of the United States. These 
men are the Makers of America, and by studying their 
lives, and using our imaginations, we can live over 
again the more than four hundred years which have 
elapsed since Columbus sailed from Spain. 

The stories in this Httle book begin with the old 
Revolutionary days. You have already studied in 
previous grades the story of the Discovery of America. 
You have followed Christopher Columbus and John 
Cabot on their memorable voyages across the ''Sea 
of Darkness." You went, in imagination, with Magellan 



''THE SPIRIT OF '76" 5 

on his trip around the globe. You were with John 
Smith during the "starving time/' and you made the 
acquaintance of Pocahontas and John Rolfe in their 
Virginia homes. You marched, gun in hand, behind 
Captain Miles Standish, the sturdy Pilgrim soldier, and 
possibly in your dreams you have seen King Philip 
and his dusky warriors peering out from behind the 
forest trees. 

You have met old Peter Stuyvesant of New Am- 
sterdam stumping around on his wooden leg, and you 
have heard William Penn telling his followers that the 
Indians must be justly treated. You followed Wash- 
ington and Braddock into the dark valley of the 
Monongahela River, and then, deep in the primeval 
forest, you saw that terrible massacre at the hands of 
the French and Indians. A little later you followed 
Wolfe along the steep, narrow, and winding path 
leading up to the Plains of Abraham. You may pos- 
sibly have heard him recite that verse from Gray's 
"Elegy" just before the ascent: 

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 

Await alike th' inevitable hour: 

The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 

Be that as it may, you certainly witnessed the fall 
of Quebec in 1759, and you know that with Quebec 
fell the power of France in North America. 

You have read of the joys and sorrows of the English 



6 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

colonists, and also of the foes which they were com- 
pelled to face. First of all the Indians, naturally 
enough, resented the coming of the white men. They 
did not like to see the "palefaces" roaming about their 
hunting grounds and fishing in their streams. There 
was a running fight of many years before the white 
men finally became the masters of the continent. Then, 
too, the Dutch in New Amsterdam were not entirely 
friendly but they were also overcome by the English. 
Finally the French, both in Europe and America, were 
not on very good terms wdth the English. The French 
and English, therefore, fought it out in the forests of 
North America, and the EngKsh were victorious. In 
the course of time, then, the Enghsh colonists had met 
and overcome three important enemies. 

After conquering the French many of the English 
colonists felt that they had still another foe to face. 
There was a growing feeling of hostility towards Eng- 
land, the Mother Countr>^ Many of the colonists 
came to feel that Great Britain was governing the col- 
onies in an unjust and selfish way. They felt that they 
were being taxed illegally, and were being deprived in 
other ways of their rights as Englishmen. 

Franklin said that "British subjects, by removing to 
America, cultivating a wilderness, extending the domain, 
and increasing the wealth, commerce, and power of the 
Mother Country, at the hazard of their lives and 
fortunes, ought not, and in fact do not thereby lose 
their native rights." As a result of this feeUng the 



''THE SPIRIT OF '76" 7 

American colonists declared their independence of the 
Mother Country, and set up a new nation on the 
Atlantic Coast. We are now to be introduced to some 
of the principal actors in this great American drama. 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Monongaheia IVIo-non-ge-he'la 
primeval pri-rae'val 



CHAPTER I 

JAMES OTIS, *'THE FLAME OF FIRE" 

Let independence be our boast, 
Ever mindful what it cost; 
Ever grateful for the prize, 
Let its altar reach the skies! 

— Joseph Hopkinson 

The American Revolution was one of the most 
important and inspiring events in the whole history 
of mankind. It gave independence to the English 
colonies in North America; it gave hope to oppressed 
people everywhere; and it was a blessing to the English 
people and the Enghsh Government. 

It was, of course, more important to the American 
people than to any one else. It gave us the right to 
govern ourselves. This means that after the Revolu- 
tion our forefathers managed their own affairs in their 
own way. They levied their taxes and spent their pub- 
lic money as they saw fit. They made their own laws 
and there was no king to tell them what they must 
do. They were free men. 

The American Republic, in which "We, the people," 
govern ourselves, has been copied in all quarters of 



JAMES OTIS 



the globe. It has served as a splendid example of free 

government, and many have profited by it. If a man 

is capable of governing himself 

it is much better for him to do 

so, than to be ruled by a king. 

It makes a much better man out 

of him. 

Now, if it is true that the 
American Revolution was really 
such an important event in his- 
tory, all American citizens ought 
to know something about it. 
They ought to know what 
caused it. They ought to know 
what the Revolutionary Fathers 
were fighting for; and they 
ought to be familiar with the 
life stories of such men as George 
Washington, Patrick Henry, 
Samuel Adams, Benjamin 
Frankhn, Thomas Jefferson, and 
the others who helped to win 
our Independence. 




James Otis 

James Otis spoke out 
against the policy of King 
George the Third long be- 
fore most men did. He 
denounced the kind of 
search warrant which was 
being used. 



You will remember that 
John Smith's "lazy gentlemen" 
founded the Jamestown Colony, in Virginia, in 1607; 
and that the sturdy Pilgrim Fathers came to Plymouth, 
Massachusetts, a short time after. One by one other 



lO 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



English colonies were established, until thirteen of them 
were scattered along the ocean coast from Massachusetts 
to Georgia. At first there was no connection existing 
among these colonies. Each one was separate and dis- 
tinct from its neighbors, but all were under the control of 
England. 

As long as these colonies were small and poor the 
Mother Country paid 
little attention to 
them; but as soon as 
they grew strong and 
wealthy they began 
to attract some 
notice. Then it was 
that England began 
to regulate the trade 
of the colonies for her 
own benefit, and to 
levy taxes on them 
to help pay the ex- 
penses of her govern- 
ment. 

Now, you know 
that a small boy does not usually object when his 
parents or his teacher tells him what he should do, but 
when he grows up he wishes to have something to say 
about his own affairs. If he earns his own money, he 
wishes to spend at least a part of it as he thinks best. 
He does not wish to be "bossed around" all of the time. 




George the TraRD 

This is a picture of the headstrong 
king of England against whom the 
Revolutionary Fathers fought. 



JAMES OTIS 



II 



It was the same way with the colonies when they grew 
up. Their leaders insisted that the colonists were 
Enghshmen who had gone away from home, and that 
they were still entitled to all the rights and privileges 
of the Englishmen who had remained in England. 




Stamp Collector Chased by a Mob 

When the British agents tried to collect money for stamps they 
got into trouble. Andrew Oliver is seen fleeing to escape the sticks 
and stones of the crowd. 



There was one right which the Englishman had 
always insisted upon and that was the right to le\^ 
his own taxes or have them levied by men chosen to 
represent him. In the case of the colonists the taxes 
were being levied, not by themselves, but by men three 



12 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

thousand miles away. To this there was a very vigor- 
ous objection, and this objection finally led to war. 

In an old English novel there is a story of a peculiar 
piece of warfare. A Duke's army is laying siege to a 
town which is in a "state of revolt, and finally captures 
a tall, odd looking man, dressed in knight's armor — the 
leader of the revolt. The tall ''knight" was really not 
a knight at all, but a tradesman with a quick wit and 
a stammering tongue. While the knight and his cap- 
tor were talking matters over, it occurred to the latter 
that he would like to know just why the town revolted; 
and, turning to the captured soldier, he said, ''But what 
is your grievance, my good friend?" To this the knight 
replied, "Toota, toota, toota, toota, — too much taxes." 

"Too much taxes" have been the cause of a great 
many wars and revolutions, but our forefathers of the 
American Revolution objected, not so much to "too 
much taxes" as to any tax at all which was levied by 
outsiders. 

In this struggle against the Mother Country, the 
colonists had able and fearless leaders. James Otis, a 
young lawyer of Massachusetts, was one of the fore- 
most of these. Otis was born in Barnstable, Massa- 
chusetts, on February 5, 1725, and was descended from 
a good old English family which had come to Massa- 
chusetts from the southwestern part of England only 
fifteen years after the Pilgrim Fathers had landed at 
Plymouth. The young James was, apparently, a bright 



JAMES OTIS 13 

lad, and was graduated from Harvard College at the 
age of eighteen. Later he studied law and began the 
practice of his profession at Plymouth. After a few 
years he went to Boston and there became interested 
in the cause of the colonists. 

While practicing law he apparently kept up his college 
studies, as he wrote a Latin textbook which was used 



1 1 i 



S^, :^ 




i 8 I 




Harvard University in its Early Days 
Otis was graduated from Harvard. 

for a time in Harvard College. He also wrote a Greek 
textbook, but it was never published because the print- 
ing shops of the New World did not have Greek letters, 
and besides there was no printer who could have set 
up the type. 

While Otis was a lawyer in Boston, England said that 
goods could not be brought into American ports with- 
out the payment of a duty, or tax, to the King's 
officers. The colonists thought this law unfair, and 



14 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



proceeded to smuggle the goods into the country with- 
out paying anything. This practice continued for 
years. Finally, the English officers began to enforce the 
law, and proceeded to search, without a legal warrant, 
the houses and other buildings in which they suspected 
the smuggled goods had been stored. The officers were 

sometimes impudent 
and spiteful, and the 
whole matter was very 
annoying. The people 
protested that the 
search was not lawful, 
and James Otis took 
the lead in the opposi- 
tion. He resigned his 
office as Attorney for 
the King, and pleaded 
the case of the people 
Old State House, Boston free of charge. In do- 

Here James Otis made some of his ing this he showed 

famous speeches. himself to be a true 

patriot and a man of high ideals. Some people blamed 
him for his course of action. They said that he 
had deserted the cause of his King, and they threat- 
ened him in all sorts of ways. Otis, however, was ''as 
immovable as the eternal hills." "Let the consequences 
be what they will," he said, "I am determined to pro- 
ceed. The only principles of pubhc conduct that are 
worthy of a gentleman or a man, are to sacrifice estate. 









%f^ 



JAMES OTIS 15 

ease, wealth, and applause, and even life, to the sacred 
calls of his country." 

He then proceeded to attack the methods of the 
British officers without mercy. ^'I will to my dying 
day," he exclaimed, ''oppose with all the powers and 
faculties God has given me, all such instruments of 
slavery on the one hand, and villainy on the other." 
''A man's house is his castle," he continued, "and Eng- 
lish liberty forbids that it should be entered except in 
a lawful way." 

He was as bold as he was eloquent, and he must have 
known that he was risking his own life when he flew 
into the face of the King, and condemned ''a kind of 
power, the exercise of which in former periods of history 
cost one king his head, and another his throne." 

For five hours Otis thundered on in that old Massa- 
chusetts court against the tyranny of the king and in 
favor of the rights of the people. He made a wonder- 
ful impression. John Adams was there as a young man 
of twenty-four, and he likened Otis to ''a flame of 
fire." ''Then and there," said Adams, "American 
Independence was born." And all of this took place 
fourteen years before the War for Independence began. 

With his gifted pen and his trumpet voice Otis con- 
tinued to assail the foes of American liberty. He made 
enemies for himself, of course, and many of them. 
Some of these detested him bitterly and sought ways 
of doing him harm. Finally, eight years after he made 
his great speech in the Massachusetts court, he pub- 



i6 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



lished an article in one of the Boston newspapers which 
greatly angered the British officers. Soon after this a 
dozen men pounced upon him in the darkened room 
of a public coffee-house and beat him unmercifully. One 




James Otis Before the Judges 

It was here that Otis made one of his most famous speeches. 
Notice that the judges are wearing wigs and gowns. Our Supreme 
Court judges now wear gowns but not wigs. 

of them struck him on the head with a heavy cane 
(some say with a sword), and he never recovered from 
the blow, although he lived on for fourteen years. His 
health was broken and he suffered from ^^ frequent 
attacks of insanity." He brought suit for damages 
against one of his assailants and obtained a judgment 
for five thousand dollars, which he promptly returned 
when the man handed him a written apology. 

Otis tried to enter public life again and attempted 



JAMES OTIS 17 

to practice law, but he was not able to do either. He 
was shattered mentally and physically and lingered on, 
for the most part, in a state of hopeless insanity. He 
did recover sufficiently to take part in the Battle of 
Bunker Hill in 1775, and to try a single law case three 
years later. 

It is said that during this period he often expressed 
the wish that his life might be ended by a stroke of 
lightning. His wish was granted. While standing near 
the open door of his home at Andover, Massachusetts, 
he was instantly killed by a bolt from the sky. He 
had lived long enough, however, to see his country a 
free and independent nation. His death took place in 
1783, — the year in which Great Britain acknowledged 
by treaty the Independence of the United States. 

The career of James Otis was not a long one, but it 
was extremely important. He deserved well of his 
native land. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Why is the American Revolution important? 

2. What was the most important cause of the American 

Revolution? 

3. How had the Englishman always insisted that his taxes be 

levied? 

4. Why was James Otis called a ** flame of fire? " 

5. Did James Otis object to the searching of houses or to the 

way in which it was done? 



CHAPTER II 



PATRICK HENRY, *'THE ORATOR OF THE 
REVOLUTION » 

Breathes there the man with soul so dead 
Who never to himself hath said, 
This is my own, my native land! 

— Sir Walter Scott 

The work of James Otis was continued by Patrick 
Henry. You probably know that Massachusetts and 

Virginia were the two most 
important leaders in the 
American Revolution. Pat- 
rick Henry was born in 
Virginia in 1736 — four 
years after the founding of 
the Georgia Colony. He 
was eleven years younger 
than Otis, and four years 
younger than Washington. 
He was very well acquainted 
with Washington, Jefferson, 
and the other great men of 
his time. 




Patrick Henry 



Henry's father was a well educated Scotchm.an of 
good, hard, common sense, and his mother was de- 



18 



PATRICK HENRY 19 

scended from a brilliant Welsh family. Indeed, one 
of her brothers, WilKam Winston, is said to have been 
one of the most powerful orators of his day, being 
surpassed in Virginia only by Patrick Henry himself. 

The young Henry was a bright lad of good family, 
and it might seem that his way to a brilliant success 
in life would be easy. It takes more, however, to make 
a successful career than a brilliant mind and a good 
family. It takes hard work and a great deal of it. 
Right here was Henry's weak point. He didn't care 
for hard work. He didn't care for school or books. 
He preferred to sit on the bank of a stream and fish 
or to roam through the woods with a shotgun on his 
shoulder in search of wild game. He would much 
rather talk with a trapper or a backwoodsman than 
with a school teacher. The simple fact is that Patrick 
Henry as a boy was rather dreamy and somewhat 
inclined to be indolent. 

For a few years the young Henry attended a small 
school near his home and studied reading, writing, and 
arithmetic. He was not making much progress in his 
studies, however, and his father took him out of school 
and taught him at home. In this task the father was 
assisted by his brother, who was pastor of one of the 
churches of the home town. With his father and his 
uncle working over him the boy had no possible chance 
of escape, and he did learn some Latin and Greek, and 
a good deal of Mathematics. 

His minister uncle also gave him some valuable in- 



20 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

struction in morals and religion. According to his own 
account he was taught the following excellent rules of 
conduct: "To be true and just in all my dealings. To 
bear no malice or hatred in my heart. To keep my 
hands from picking and stealing. Not to covet other 
men's goods; but to learn and labor truly, to get my 
own living, and to do my duty in that state of life 
into which it has pleased God to call me." 

The boy had good instruction at home, but it did 
not last very long. At the age of fifteen he put aside 
his books and went into business. He served an ap- 
prenticeship for a year, and then went into partnership 
with his brother Wilham in a small country store. 
Their father furnished the money for it, and the boys 
were to carry on the business; but since Patrick had 
very Httle business abihty, and brother William had 
even less, the store failed within a few months. 

Patrick was now waiting for something to turn up. 
He waited in vain for about a year, and at the end 
of that time, when he was eighteen years of age, with 
no money in his pocket and nothing to do, he got 
married. His wife was Miss Sarah Shelton, and her 
capital was about equal to that of her husband. Her 
father was an inn-keeper, and the young bridegroom 
tried his hand for a time in helping '' to keep a hotel." 

The parents on both sides saw that something had 
to be done, and so came to the rescue. They procured 
a small farm in the neighborhood and a few slaves, 
and set the young couple up in house-keeping. Patrick 



PATRICK HENRY 21 

and his bride were very happy but they were also very 
poor farmers, and at the end of two years this venture 
failed also. 

Henry, now a boy of twenty, tried his luck once 
more. With the money which he received from the 
sale of his slaves he bought another country store. The 
result was what might have been expected. He failed 
again. Henry was now twenty-three years of age with 
a wife and several small children dependent upon him. 

In spite of his rather unhappy position, however, he 
was in splendid health and fine spirits. Thomas Jeffer- 
son met him at a social gathering about this time and 
said that Henry seemed to have a passion for music, 
dancing, and pleasantry. The young man had a fine 
mind, robust strength, and good moral principles, and 
would do well what he was fitted for. He had no taste 
for farming, hotel keeping, or running country stores, 
but there was a great and important work for him to 
do as soon as he found himself. 

Sometime while he was keeping store, or farming, or 
helping about the hotel he acquired a taste for good 
reading. He read the history of the Ancients, of the 
English, and of the colonists in Virginia. He was also 
a religious man and read the Bible regularly. In this 
way he improved his use of the English language, and 
thus prepared himself for the great work which he was 
destined to do. 

Finally, after knocking around a good deal, he made 
up his mind to become a lawyer. After studying law for 



2 2 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

a month or six weeks he presented himself for the ex- 
amination and was admitted to practice. He was then 
only twenty-four years of age and, poorly prepared as 
he was, it looked as though he were doomed to another 
failure. He didn't fail, however, for he had now found 
a kind of work in which he was interested. 

Three years after beginning his practice, he was em- 
ployed in a very important suit known as '' The Par- 
sons' Cause." During the trial of this case he discovered 
his wonderful oratorical powers, and became famous 
almost in a single day. He won the case and his elo- 
quence was talked about all over the county. At last 
he had shown the real stuff that was in him. He be- 
came a popular lawyer and public speaker. Clients 
rushed to him, and he was now on the high road to 
success. 

Just about this time England passed the fam.ous 
Stamp Act, which required the colonists in America 
to purchase stamps and place them on newspapers, 
pamphlets, and legal papers of various kinds. The 
English Government wished to raise money in this way. 
The colonists objected to the tax. At this critical 
moment Patrick Henry appeared in the House of Bur- 
gesses of Virginia (the legislature of the colony) and 
boldly declared that the Virginia Legislature had the 
sole right to lay taxes upon the inhabitants of the 
Colony, and that any one who thought differently was 
an enemy of the people. He introduced a set of resolu- 
tions to this effect, and there followed a debate which 



PATRICK HENRY 



23 



Jefferson called ^' most bloody." In the course of this 
debate Henry held that the EngHsh Government should 
not be permitted to tax the colonists. His bold de- 
fiance of the Mother Country startled and shocked 
many of the older members of the assembly. 




Patrick Henry Addressing the Virginia Assembly 
"If this be treason, make the most of it." 



It was in the course of this debate that one of the 
most dramatic scenes in American History took place. 
Coming to a climax in his fiery speech, Henry blazed 
forth his memorable warning to George the Third, the 
King of England. ^'Caesar had his Brutus," he said; 
''Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the 
Third" — (shouts of ''treason," "treason," came from 



24 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

all parts of the house. Henry paused for a moment in 
an attitude of defiance until the cries ceased. And then, 
rearing himself with a look and a bearing of still 
prouder and fiercer determination, . . . without in the 
least flinching from his position, he finished the sen- 
tence) — '^and George the Third may profit by their 
example. If this be treason, make the most of it!'' 
This was in 1765. 

The resolutions were then passed by the house and 
Henry, thinking that his task had been accomplished, 
set out joyously for home. He must have presented 
a picturesque figure as he started upon his journey. He 
was described as ''wearing buckskin breeches, his 
saddle-bags on his arm, leading a lean horse, and 
chatting with a companion who walked by his side." 

On the following morning, with Henry out of the 
way, the House became frightened and hastily erased 
from its records a part of the resolutions. It was too 
late, however. The bold words of Henry had already 
gone out of the legislative hall and, " borne on the wings 
of the wind," were well on their way to every nook and 
corner of the colonies. They did their work well and 
were an important factor in uniting the colonists 
against the Mother Country. 

For nine years after this memorable scene Henry 
worked hard at his law practice, and developed the 
power of his great genius. He had become a great 
lawyer and a greater public speaker. 

It will be remembered that there was no bond of 



PATRICK HENRY 



25 



union among the colonies. Without such a bond they 
could not act in common against the oppression of the 
Mother Country; and since this oppression increased 
rather than diminished, it seemed necessary to have a 
meeting of the leading men from all the colonies to 
talk things over. The result was the First Continental 
Congress which met 
in Philadelphia in the 
fall of 1774. 

Patrick Henry, 
naturally enough, was 
one of the men chosen 
to represent Virginia 
in this Congress. 
Several days before 
the time appointed 
for the meeting, he 
set out on horseback 
for Philadelphia. He 
stopped off at Mount 
Vernon for a day and 

a night, for a visit with his friend George Washington, 
who lived in a beautiful old mansion on the Potomac 
River. We may be sure that during this visit the two 
great men talked over the wrongs of the colonies and 
the plans for the Philadelphia Congress. On the following 
day Henry and Washington, accompanied by Edmund 
Pendleton, another distinguished Virginian, set out on 
horseback for Philadelphia. The three great men jogged 



^^^B^^IP^^^^^W'^ 


iiiBi ■^^Kiww* "SBif^ ^s ***** jMiiii Infi^i^MiliHiB^B 


1^ B H ^^.^ - -^^»Bi 



Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia 

The Continental Congress met in this 
building. We saw Washington, Henry and 
Pendleton on their way to attend the 
meeting. 



26 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

into the city on the morning of September 5th, just in 
time to attend the opening of the great Congress. 

Henry, as might be expected, took an important part 
in the work of this Congress. He apparently had come 
to the conclusion that there would be a war between 
England and the colonies. He did not see how it 
could be avoided. John Adams tells us that near the 
close of the Congress he was talking this matter over 
with Henry. Neither man was hopeful of a peaceful 
settlement. Adams expressed the opinion that the 
resolutions and petitions which they were sending to 
England would find their way into the King's waste 
paper basket, and thus amount to nothing. Adams 
said that, as they were talking, Henry raised his head 
and exclaimed with emphasis, ''After all, we must 
fight." 

This famous Congress lasted for seven weeks, and 
then Henry went back home, but was still interested 
in pubhc affairs. 

The Revolution was approaching rapidly and interest 
was intense. Meetings were being held everywhere 
from Massachusetts to Georgia. One of these meetings 
was held in a church in Richmond, Virginia. Here 
Patrick Henry made a great and memorable speech. 
The main purpose of the meeting was to make arrange- 
ments for the raising of an army to fight the Mother 
Country, in case they were compelled to do so. Henry 
again presented a bold set of resolutions looking to the 



PATRICK HENRY 27 

defense of the colonies and made the speech of his 
hfe in their support. It was a notable address in many 
ways, but particularly in one. Up to this time many 
men had spoken of the possibihty of a war with England 
but all had expressed a hope that such a war might be 
avoided. Henry now came out boldly and said that it 
was impossible to avoid such a war. '' The war is com- 
ing; it has come already," he exclaimed, while many 
timid souls shivered at his bold utterance. He looked 
upon "all further talk of peace as mere prattle." 
"This is no time for ceremony," he said; "it is a ques- 
tion of slavery and freedom." He accused England 
of making plans to subdue the colonies. What about 
"those warlike preparations which cover our waters and 
darken our lands? What do they mean? They are 
meant for us; they can be meant for no other. In 
vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope 
of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any 
room for hope ... If we wish to be free . . . we must 
fight! I repeat it, sir . . . we must fight! An appeal 
to arms, and to the God of hosts, is all that is left us." 

He was opposed to delay. "They tell us, sir, that 
we are weak," he continued, — "unable to cope with 
so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be 
stronger? Will it be next week, or next year? Will it 
be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British 
guard shall be stationed in every house?" 

Henry also thought that outside nations would help 
the colonists. "Besides, sir," he continued, "we shall 



28 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who 
presides over the destinies of nations, and who will 
raise up friends to fight our battles for us." He was 
right in one respect. France did aid us with men and 
money during the Revolution. 

When one enters 
the old church in 
Richmond, as many 
travelers do, and 
stands with un- 
covered head, he can 
almost hear the ring- 
ing words of the con- 
clusion of this great 
speech. 

Gentlemen may cry 
peace, peace, but there 
is no peace. The war is 
actually begun. The 
next gale that sweeps 
from the north will bring 
to our ears the clash 
of resounding arms. Our 
brethren are already in 
the field. Why stand 
we here idle? What is 




Patrick Henry 

''But as for me, give me liberty or 
give me death." 



it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, 
or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and 
slavery? Forbid it. Almighty God! I know not what course 
others may take, but as for me, give me Hberty, or give me 
death! 



PATRICK HENRY 29 

Henry's resolutions were carried and he was now in 
great demand everywhere. For a short time he was in 
the miUtary service. He was also the first Governor 
of Virginia. His services and advice were sought on 
every hand. 

There was also another solemn duty to which he was 
called. In the midst of these trying times his wife, 
Sarah, had died and left six small children to the care 
of her husband. Henry found great comfort in caring 
for the motherless httle brood, — as well as a father 
could. 

Henry's condition at this time was rather pitiable. 
He was an old and broken man at fifty. The strain 
of the Revolutionary days had left its mark. He was 
also poor and even in debt. He had neglected his law 
practice and his private business for the public welfare. 
His spirit was not broken, however, and he took up his 
law work again in order to win back his private fortune. 
He worked harder than ever before. He studied hard 
on his law cases. In one instance he sent his grandson 
on horseback a distance of sixty miles in order to get 
a law book which he needed in one of his cases. 

It is pleasing to note that he was successful in this 
undertaking, and a few years later he was able to re- 
tire from his labors and live in ease and comfort for 
the rest of his life. 

He spent his last days on a beautiful estate, called 
Red Hill, overlooking the Staunton River. He loved 
the surroundings of this secluded spot. Here he lies 



30 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



buried, and the farm is still owned by members of 
his family. 

Henry's hfe at Red Hill, in the midst of his family 
and friends, was truly delightful. He was careful about 
his health and used no wines or hquors at all. In 
fact he was so shocked by the great amount of drunken- 
ness in America 
after the Revolu- 
tionary War that he 
did everything in his 
power to check it. 
He tried to find some 
harmless substitute 
for strong liquor. 
He employed a 
Scotch brewer to 
make a "soft" or 
temperance drink. 
While he was governor of Virginia he always had this 
beverage upon his dinner table, trying in every way to 
make it popular. 

His grandson has left us a beautiful picture of his 
home life at Red Hill. The family residence was on 
a high bluff overlooking the bottom lands of the river. 
Henry was accustomed, during the milder seasons of 
the year, to get up before sunrise, "while the air was 
cool and calm," and enjoy the sounds of the early 
morning as they came from the farmyard, the river, 
and the wood lot. A little later he would stand on the 




Patrick Henry's Old Home at Red Hill 



PATRICK HENRY 31 

high place and give directions to his slaves who were 
half a mile away. ^'The strong musical voices of the 
negroes responded to him." It is said that even at this 
time his beautiful voice could be heard distinctly ''over 
an area which ten thousand people could not have 
filled," and that ''the tones of his voice were as melo- 
dious as the notes of an Alpine horn." 

During all of this time the aged statesman continued 
to read his Bible. He spent one hour each day in 
private devotion. His hour of prayer was at sunset, 
and during that sacred time, his grandson tells us, no 
member of the family "ever intruded upon his privacy." 

Finally, when he knew that his end was near, he 
remarked to the physician at his bedside that religion 
was a great comfort to a man about to die. A few 
moments later he closed his eyes in peace, breathed his 
last, and was gathered unto his fathers. He might 
have said, 

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Patrick Henry didn't succeed very well at first. What do 

you think the reason was? 

2. What body of men in your state would correspond to the 

House of Burgesses of Virginia? 

3. Why did men shout "treason," "treason," while Patrick 

Henry was making his famous speech? 

4. When and where did the First Continental Congress meet? 

What was the purpose of the meeting? 



32 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



5. Where is *' Red Hill " and for what is it noted? 

6. Why did Patrick Henry have so much influence in Virginia 

and elsewhere? Was it on account of his oratory alone? 

7. What government office did he hold in Virginia? 

8. What was the Stamp Act? 

9. Tell something about Patrick Henry's family life. 
10. What did he do for his country? 

PRONOUNCING LIST 
Burgesses bur'jes-ez 



CHAPTER III 

SAMUEL ADAMS, THE ORGANIZER OF THE 
REVOLUTION 

If it were not for two or three Adamses, we should do 
well enough. 

— Thomas Hutchinson, 
Royal Governor of Massachusetts 

James Otis and Patrick Henry preached resistance to 
the policy of the Mother Country with a fiery zeal. 
They were the impassioned orators of the Revolution. 
They stirred up the colonists to a high pitch of en- 
thusiasm. They moved and persuaded them to take 
a firm stand for Independence. 

Samuel Adams was a very different kind of man. 
He was not much of a talker, but he was a tireless 
worker. After Otis and Henry had persuaded men to 
act, Adams told them what action to take. He called 
meetings, appointed committees, wrote letters, and 
drafted resolutions. He saw to it that things were ac- 
tually done. He made plans and got men to carry 
them out. He was a man of action, not of words. He 
did not merely talk about things, he did things. 

''Samuel Adams was born to serve on committees." 
He has been called ''the man of the town meeting." 

33 



34 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Some have called him "the brains of the Revolution." 
Massachusetts was the leader of the Revolution; Bos- 
ton was the leader of Massachusetts; and Samuel 
Adams was the leader of Boston. So it will be seen 
that there was good reason for calling Adams The 
Organizer of the Revolution. 

The Adams family is one of the most illustrious in 
American History. Two members of this family have 
occupied the Presidential chair, and a score of others 
have held prominent positions in the Nation. The 
founder of the family in this country was Henry Adams, 
who came from England with his wife and family of 
eight children at a very early date. 

Samuel Adams, the subject of this sketch, was born 
in Boston, in 1722. He was a member of a family of 
twelve children. His father was a thrifty and success- 
ful business man who owned a malt house on the Bay. 
The fine old family mansion was located near by. It 
stood on the water front and commanded a splendid 
view of the harbor. 

The father, who was also named Samuel, was a 
leader in pubhc affairs, and at one time a member of 
the legislature of the colony. His son called him " sl 
wise and a good man," and such he undoubtedly was. 

The young Adams was a staid and serious lad, and, 
unhke Patrick Henry, attended school with great regu- 
larity. It is said that he passed along the street so 
regularly, in going to and from school, that laborers 
were in the habit of telling the time of day by his 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



35 




Samuel Adams 
Adams is pleading the cause of the colonies and urging Independence. 



36 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

appearance. Whether this is true or not, he was "as 
steady as a clock" and made good progress in his studies. 

He later went to Harvard College where he was 
graduated at the age of eighteen. His father wished 
him to become a minister, but he was incHned to be 
a lawyer. He began the study of law but did not seem 
to be very much interested in it. His mother also was 
opposed to it. The profession of law was not at that 
time in such good standing as it is now. 

The young Adams then went into business. He 
didn't like this either. He had no taste for trade and 
cared very little for money. It was about this time 
that his father gave him five thousand dollars to enable 
him to set up in business for himself. He loaned half 
of his money to a friend who never paid it back and 
promptly lost the remainder in a business venture. He 
then went into partnership with his father in the malt 
business, but the musty old malt-house had no attrac- 
tions for him. He was about as good a business man 
as Patrick Henry was; but, as in the case of Henry, 
there was a more important work awaiting him. 

He was a patriot, not a money maker. He once told 
his cousin, John Adams, that he never made plans for 
"laying up anything for himself or others after him." 
When he was about to set out for Philadelphia to 
attend the first Continental Congress, some of his 
friends saw that his clothes were rather shabby and 
suspected that there was not much money in his 
pocket. Consequently, they bought him a suit of 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



37 



clothes, a new wig and a hat, a dozen pairs of stock- 
ings and six pairs of shoes. And when he admitted 
that his funds were rather low, they also gave him a 
modest sum of money to pay his expenses. 
Although Adams usually thought things over care- 




JoHN Hancock Discussing the Stamp Act 

Hancock is standing. John and Samuel Adams are present, also 
a ship captain who has brought stamps from England to sell to the 
colonists. 

fully he was rather extreme and radical in his views. 
His period of greatest activity begins with the passing 
of the Stamp Act, which he opposed most vigorously. 
He also suggested the calling of the Stamp Act Con- 
gress to protest against the measure. 



38 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



i 



About this time the colonies began to sound the 
slogan ''no taxation without representation." It was 
then suggested by some that the American colonies 
might send representatives to sit in the British Parlia- 
ment. James Otis and Benjamin Franklin were of 




Reading the Stamp Act in Boston 

The British Stamp Act of 1765 caused great excitement in America. 
It contained fifty-five clauses and put a stamp tax on a great many 
different articles. It was repealed a year later. 

this mind, and thought that the difficulty with the 
Mother Country might be solved in this way. Adams 
was not of this opinion. He thought that a small 
number of American representatives would not count 
for much in such a large assembly as the British Par- 
liament. He had thought the whole matter over care- 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



39 



fully and said that he would be satisfied with nothing 
less than the complete independence of the colonies. 

When once he had made up his mind, Adams was 
steadfast in his opinions. After the repeal of the 
Stamp Act, and before 
the Declaration of 
Independence, General 
Gage tried to make 
Adams change his 
mind. Gage was Com- 
mander of the British 
troops in America and 
suggested to Adams 
that he stop fighting 
and ''make peace with 
the King." To this 
Adams replied, '' I trust 
I have made my peace 
with the King of kings. 
No personal considera- 
tions shall induce me 
toabandonthe 

righteous cause of my Adams gave the Governor a good deal of 
° -' trouble and was called in for discipline. 

country." 

Adams was a stern Puritan and could not be easily 
moved from the path of duty. Thomas Hutchinson, 
the King's Governor of Massachusetts, in a letter to 
the British Government, said that Adams was of "such 
obstinate and inflexible disposition that no gift nor 




Samuel Adams Called before Thomas 
Hutchinson, the Royal Governor 



40 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

office would ever conciliate him." It was the custom 
in those days to bribe men by ''gift" or "office," but 
the plan would not work in the case of Samuel Adams. 

A little later, when the D^aration of Independence 
was being discussed, and when some timid souls began 
to show signs of weakness, Adams exclaimed: ''I 
should advise persisting in our struggle for liberty 
though it were revealed from Heaven that 999 were to 
perish, and one out of 1,000 were to survive and retain 
his liberty. One such freeman must possess more virtue, 
and enjoy more happiness, than 1,000 slaves; and let 
him propagate his like, and transmit to them what he 
has so nobly preserved." 

The Declaration of Independence was passed soon 
after, and Samuel Adams took great pleasure in sign- 
ing it. His friend John Hancock had signed it first 
in letters so large that " George the Third could read 
it without his glasses." 

Naturally enough, all of this did not tend to make 
Adams popular with the British officers; and so the 
King's men tried to capture him and his friend Hancock 
and send them to England to be tried for treason. They 
knew very well what their fate would be if they were 
captured. 

On the night before the Battle of Lexington, the 
first battle of the Revolution, General Gage laid plans 
to capture the two men, whom he called the '' Arch 
Rebels." Hancock and Adams had stopped for the 
night at the home of Rev. Jonas Clarke in Lexing- 



SAMUEL ADAMS 



41 



ton. Gage planned to swoop down upon them at mid- 
night and bring them to Boston in chains. Paul Revere, 
however, rode out from Boston on Deacon Larkin's 
swift horse and arrived at the minister's house just in 
time to give them warning. As the British troops 
appeared, Hancock and Adams left the house and took 
to the woods. The next day Adams stood on a wooded 




Kitchen and Living Room in the Jonas Clarke House 

Examine the picture carefully and see how many of the articles you 
can identify. 

hill near by and, seeing the beginning of the Battle of 
Lexington, exclaimed, ^' What a glorious morning for 
America!" He had visions of Independence for the 
colonies. 

All the threats of the British officers could not in- 
timidate Samuel Adams. He stuck to his task and 
used every possible means to accomplish his work. 
He would talk to men in the street and on the docks, 



42 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

— everywhere that men would hsten to him. He also 
wrote pamphlets, and '' poured himself into the news- 
papers." He never seemed to tire of writing. People 
passing his house were accustomed to see a light in 
his window in the wee small hours of the morning. As 
they went their way they often said to themselves that 
" Sam Adams was hard at work writing against the 
Tories" in England. The Tories knew it, also. They 
felt the jab of his pen. One of the royal governors of 
Massachusetts once said of Adams that "every dip of 
his pen stings like a horned snake." 

While active in the affairs leading to the Revolution, 
Adams still continued to live in the old mansion on 
the Bay with its "light in the window." His home 
life was happy and comfortable. A son, now twenty- 
two years of age, was studying medicine, after having 
graduated from Harvard College. His daughter, a 
charming young girl of seventeen, was still in school. 
There was joy and music in the family circle. Adams 
had a good voice and liked to sing some of the old 
songs. Family prayers were said, and the Bible was 
read aloud every evening. "Old Surry," a black 
"mammy," Kved in the Adams family for fifty years 
and was devotedly attached to every member of it. 
When slavery was abolished in Massachusetts, she was 
offered her freedom but dechned. She threw the papers 
into the fire, and exclaimed that "she had libbed too 
long to be trifled with." 

Old Queue was another patriotic and interesting 



SAMUEL ADAMS 43 

member of the Adams household. Queue was a fine, 
big, intelligent Newfoundland dog, and he was in 
entire sympathy with his master's views. He hated 
the British soldiers just as much as anyone could. 
Whenever he saw a '^red coat" he made a dash for it. 
As a result '^he was cut and shot in several places by 
the soldiers . . . and bore to his grave honorable scars 
from his fierce encounters." Old Queue did his part 
in winning Independence for the American colonies. 

Samuel Adams devoted his whole life unselfishly to 
pubHc affairs, with no thought of his own private 
fortune. He served on committees of various kinds 
and held important offices both in the state and nation. 
His salary was either nothing at all or very small. He 
saved nothing, and it might have been necessary to 
bury him at public expense if he had not inherited 
six thousand dollars upon the death of his son. His 
son, already mentioned, was an army surgeon, who at 
the time of his death had certain claims against the 
government. These claims went to his father and 
helped him greatly in his old age. 

On the early morning of Sunday, October 2, 1803, 
the tolling of the church bells awakened the inhabitants 
of Boston and they knew that Samuel Adams had passed 
away. He was eighty-one years of age at the time of 
his death. He was buried, very fittingly, near the 
resting place of the victims of the ''Boston Massacre." 
(p. 58). "In what is now Adams Square, the town 
he loved has commemorated him worthily in imposing 



44 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

bronze. His dust lies almost beneath the feet of the 
passers in the great thoroughfare, and no stone marks 
the spot." 

Here lie the ashes of ''Sam Adams, the Malster," 
"a man, who, in the history of the American Revolu- 
tion, is second only to Washington." 

That man may last, but never lives, 
Who much receives, but nothing gives. 

Samuel Adams gave his all to his Country. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. How did Samuel Adams differ from James Otis and Patrick 

Henry? 

2. What do you consider Adams's greatest service to the 

Revolution? 

3. Where is Harvard University located? 

4. What is meant by '* No Taxation without representation"? 

5. See if you can find a copy of John Hancock's signature to 

the Declaration of Independence. 

6. Which was the first battle of the American Revolution? 

Locate it on the map. 

7. Why is Samuel Adams sometimes called '* The Father of 

the American Revolution" ? 

8. See if you can find out who the "Tories" were. 



CHAPTER IV 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, THE BALANCE WHEEL 
OF THE REVOLUTION 

As a patriot none surpassed him. 

— John T. Morse, Jr. 

But matchless FrankUn! What a few 
Can hope to rival such as you, 
Who seized from kings their sceptered pride, 
And turned the lightning's darts aside. 

— Philip Freneau 

We have all met Benjamin Franklin before. We 
first met him as a young printer in Boston. Later 
we saw him, as a boy of seventeen, setting out to seek 
his fortune in New York. Not finding anything to do 
in that place, he went to Philadelphia, where he be- 
came famous. We all remember how odd and old- 
fashioned he looked when he walked down Market 
Street, Philadelphia, with a loaf of bread under each 
arm and munching a third. We have all probably 
read parts of his ''Poor Richard's Almanac," which 
contains so many wise and useful sayings. 

Franklin was a great and a wise man, but, at the 

45 



46 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

same time, a very simple and modest one. He was 
truly genuine and sincere and never cared for show. 
He makes "Poor Richard" say: 

Fond pride of dress is sure a very curse; 
Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse. 

And again he says: 

It is as truly folly for the poor to ape the rich, as for the 
frog to swell in order to equal the ox. 

Franklin was the oldest man in the public life of 
America at the time of the Revolution. And no other 
man of his day could do so many things well. For 
this reason he has been called "the many-sided 
Frankhn." 

As a man he was kind, genial and thoughtful. There 
was no mahce in his great soul. He was not selfish. 
He wanted a "square deal" for everybody. He never 
acted hastily. When a matter was presented to him he 
thought it over carefully — up one side and down the 
other — before coming to a conclusion. He took large 
and broad views of things. He had traveled exten- 
sively, both in Europe and America, and was a kind of 
"citizen of the world." He was a very human sort 
of man and everyone loved him. He was also a practi- 
cal man of good, hard, common sense, and thus became 
The Balance Wheel of the Revolution. 

Franklin was born in Boston in 1706, and was thus 
sixty years of age when the colonists were fighting for 
the repeal of the Stamp Act. Franklin was one of the 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



47 




Franklin's Book Shop 



48 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

last of the great men of America to advocate the inde- 
pendence of the colonies, but he was one of the first 
to protest against unjust taxation. His influence in this 
respect was powerful in England as well as in this country. 
After the Stamp Act was passed, FrankHn went to 
England and tried to get it repealed. He appeared be- 
fore the House of Commons (the lower house of the 
EngHsh ParHament) and gave his reasons in a most 
convincing way. This dialogue between Franklin and 
the members of Parhament has been printed and is 
very interesting. FrankUn stated the case of the Ameri- 
can colonists as well as it could possibly be stated. 
Let us notice a few of the questions and answers. 

Question'. "Do you think the people of America would submit 

to pay the stamp duty, if it was moderated?" 
Answer: "No, never unless compelled by force of arms." 
Question'. "What was the temper of America towards Great 

Britain before the year 1763?" 
Answer: "The best in the world." 
Question: "And what is their temper now?" 
Answer: "O, very much altered." 
Question: "And have they not still the same respect for 

Parliament? " 
Answer: ''No, it is greatly lessened." 
Question: "Do you think if the Stamp Act is repealed that the 

North Americans will be satisfied?" 
Answer: "I believe they will." 

Question: "What used to be the pride of Americans?" 
Answer: "To indulge in the fashions and manufactures of 

Great Britain." 
Question: "What is now their pride?" 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



49 



Answer: "To wear their old clothes over again till they can 
make new ones." 

This interview was a long one and in the course of 
it Franklin presented many facts and views which 
were new to the men 
across the sea. Some 
of the questions, you 
will notice, were asked 
by men who were 
friendly to the 
American colonies in 
order to bring out 
these facts and views. 

The Stamp Act was 
repealed a short time 
after and it is Hkely 
that Franklin's inter- 
view was influential in 
bringing this about. 

Ten years later, 
when Franklin had 
reached the 
three score years and 

ten, he helped to draft the Declaration of Independence 
and also signed his name to that great document. Thomas 
Jefferson wrote the Declaration after getting suggestions 
from the other members of the committee, of whom 
Frankhn was one. Frankhn had a very gifted pen and 
some thought that he might be called upon to write the 




Discussing the Declaration of 
Independence 



You will recognize Thomas Jefferson, 
age of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. 



50 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

document. One man, however, tells us that Franklin was 
not chosen for this task because it was feared that he 
might put a joke into it. 

The signing of this document was, of course, a very 
serious matter, but all were in good humor now that the 
struggle was over. After signing his name one man 
remarked very seriously, "Now we must all hang to- 
gether." "Yes," said Franklin, "or we shall all hang 
separately." 

A few months before this time the British Lord 
North had a conversation with Franklin in regard to 
a settlement of the American trouble. North said: 
"An agreement is necessary for America; it is so easy 
for Britain to burn all your seaport towns." 

To this Franklin replied: "My little property con- 
sists in houses in those towns; you may make bonfires 
of them whenever you please; the fear of losing them 
will never alter my resolution to resist to the last the 
claim of Parliament." 

On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
was signed, Frankhn wrote the following letter to 
WiUiam Strahan, who had been his intimate friend: 

Mr. Strahan. — You are a member of Parliament, and one 
of that majority which has doomed my country to destruction. 
You have begun to burn our towns and murder our people. 
Look upon your hands; they are stained with the blood of your 
relations! You and I were long friends; you are now my enemy, 
and I am 

Yours, 
B. Franklin 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



SI 




Benjamin Franklin 

Franklin was a student of general welfare. He began the paving of 
streets in Philadelphia, started the circulating library, organized the 
first fire company, invented the Franklin stove to take the place of 
the old open fireplace, and did many other things for the good of 
the people. 



52 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Two years after the Declaration of Independence, 
Franklin went to France with two other men and 
succeeded in making an agreement whereby France 
aided us with men and money in our struggle with 
Great Britain. Franklin was a great favorite at the 
court of France and had much influence in bringing 
about this treaty. 

After Independence had been won Franklin again 
went to England — this time on a very different 
mission. He was to make a treaty of peace. He did 
so in 1783; and, as Tom Paine remarked, "The times 
that tried men's souls were over." 



In the summer of 1787 a great convention of the 
leading men of America was called together in Phila- 
delphia to make a new constitution for the United 
States. Frankhn, at eighty-one years of age, was one 
of the most valuable members of this body. He was 
America's "grand old man," and was greatly beloved 
by all the members. When the delegates could not 
agree, or when they became angry, it was usually 
Franklin's part to smooth matters out. 

Franklin's sense of humor was so strong that he 
could not restr' in it even when serious matters were 
being considered. It will be noticed, however, that 
wisdom was always mixed with his humor. For example 
when he was twenty-two years of age, he wrote the 
following epitaph for himself: 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 53* 

"The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Lies here 
. . . ; But the work shall not be lost, for it will 
appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, 
revised and corrected by the author." 

Although he did not attend church regularly Franklin 
was a devoutly religious man. He believed in prayer 
and practiced it. Here is one of Thomson's poems 
of which he was fond: 

Father of light and life, thou good supreme! 

O teach me what is good; teach me thyself! 

Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, 

From every low pursuit; and fill my soul 

With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure; 

Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss! 

After a well rounded and complete life Frankhn 
died in Boston in 1790 at the ripe old age of eighty- 
four. A short time before his death, and when he 
knew that his end was near, he insisted upon getting 
up to have his bed properly made. He wished, as he 
said, to ''die in a decent manner." 

The chief motive of his life was to promote the welfare of 
mankind. 

— John T. Morse, Jr. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. How did Benjamin Franklin resemble a " balance wheel "? 

2. Why was Franklin called '* many-sided "? 

3. Do you think that Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry 

were alike in disposition? 

4. What was the chief motive of Benjamin Franklin's life? 



CHAPTER V 



GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE PILLAR OF THE 
REPUBLIC 

Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cul- 
tivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality 
enjoin this conduct. 

— Washington 's Farewell Address 

We have all met George Washington before — many 
times. We saw him as a boy of seventeen surveying 

_ in the western wilder- 




ness. We saw him a 
sturdy frontiersman of 
twenty-one carrying 
the famous message to 
the French command- 
er in northwestern 
Pennsylvania. We 
held our breath at 
times, not knowing 
whether he would re- 
turn to Virginia in 
safety or fall a victim 
to the perils of winter 
or the treachery" of the red man. At the time of Brad- 
dock's famous march we saw him save the day in the dark 

54 



Washington as a Surveyor 

Washington surveyed the western wilder- 
ness. He preceded the "Westward 
Movement." 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



55 



valley of the Monongahela River. Some of us have paid 
a loving tribute to his memory at the old home on the 
Potomac River, and all of us think of him each year on the 
twenty-second of February. 

Washington was a very different kind of man from 
those already considered. He was not a great orator 
like Otis or Henry. 
In fact he rarely 
attempted to make 
a speech. He was 
not a skillful writer 
and organizer like 
Samuel Adams. He 
wrote many letters 
on public questions, 
but his spelling was 
rather poor, and his 
grammar not always 
correct. He was not 
so good a scholar as 
Alexander Hamilton 
or James Madison. 
In his services to the nation, however, he excelled all of 
these men. He was a great, large man of good, common 
sense and sound judgment. He knew the thing to be 
done, and did it without flinching. 

Unlike Patrick Henry he was a splendid business 
man. He was thrifty and saving and owned a great 
deal of property. For all of these reasons the people 




Map Showing some of Washington's 
Activities in the Old French War 

His home was at Mount Vernon. He 
carried his famous letter to the French 
Commander at Fort Le Boeuf, and he 
fought on Braddock's Field. 



56 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



came to have great confidence in him. He was the 
Pillar of the Republic — the strong staff upon which 
the nation leaned in time of danger. 



Things went from bad to worse in the contest with 
the Mother Country, and soon the fight was on. All 

of the eloquence of 
Patrick Henry and the 
good sense and kindli- 
ness of Benjamin 
Franklin could not 
stem the tide of British 
tyranny. The king 
and his ministers kept 
right on in their stupid 
way. Some of the 
great men in the Eng- 
lish Parliament, such 
as Edmund Burke and 
William Pitt, pleaded 
with them to withdraw 




The Boston Massacre 

Here on March 5, 1770, the first blood- 
shed in the Revolutionary War took 
place. 



the British troops from America and treat the colonists 
fairly, but they paid no attention to this good advice. 
They did, of course, repeal the Stamp Act; but they 
made other laws which were just as bad, or even worse. 
They levied a lot of other taxes and again the colonists 
objected. The Americans erected ''liberty poles" with 
flags on top and the British soldiers cut them down, 
sawed them into pieces, and piled them up in front of 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 57 

the buildings where meetings were being held. On one 
occasion a riot followed and one man was killed. 

In Boston the people objected very seriously to the 
presence of the British troops. The soldiers were not 




The Boston Tea Party 

Here the "Indians" are dumping the tea into the Boston Harbor. 
Why would they not permit it to be brought ashore? 

a very nice lot of men. They carried on horse-racing 
and gambling on Sunday, during church hours, and to 
this the Puritan spirit objected. Men and boys began 
to annoy them, and finally pelted them with sticks and 
stones. On March 5, 1770 the soldiers fired into a 



58 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

crowd, killing five of the citizens and wounding six. 
All Boston was at fever heat. A great mass meeting 
demanded that the soldiers be withdrawn from the city, 
and this was done. For many years after, this event, 
which came to be known as the "Boston Massacre,'' 
was celebrated by meetings and memorial speeches. 
The English backed up on other measures but not 
quite far enough. They repealed all of the objection- 
able taxes except the one on tea. They then tried to 
bring a cargo of tea into the Boston harbor. The 
indignant citizens wanted the ship to turn back, but 
the Royal Governor refused to give the order. A party 
of men dressed up as Indians then went on board the 
vessel and dumped the tea into the Boston harbor. It 
is said that on the next morning a great many promi- 
nent citizens of Boston found quantities of tea in their 
shoes. This ''tea party," as it was called, was another 
step toward war. 

It kept King George so long awake 
His brain at last got addled. 

The English reply to the ''Boston Tea Party" was 
the passage of five "intolerable" or unbearable meas- 
ures. These measures provided for the closing of the 
Boston harbor — an act of vengeance. They also 
changed the charter of Massachusetts, and provided 
that more troops should be sent to America to be 
"quartered" upon the people. This made the colonists 
furious, but all to no avail. It was seen that war might 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



59 



break out at any moment. The "Minute-Men" were 
organized. These were men who had pledged themselves 
to be ready for service in the field at a moment's notice. 
They had not long to wait. General Gage, who did 
not use very good sense, sent his troops to Concord to 




The Battle of Lexington 
Notice that an old fence furnished part of the entrenchments. 



capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams and to de- 
stroy some military supplies which had been stored at 
that place. Paul Revere heard of this plan and, gallop- 
ing out on horseback, gave the alarm. Hancock and 
Adams escaped and the Minute-Men met the British 



6o TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

troops on the village green of Lexington on April 19, 
1775. Here the American Revolution began. 

At Concord bridge the fight was continued and the 
British were driven back in great disorder to Boston. 
They had lost two hundred and seventy men, while 
the Americans lost ninety-three. 



The next scene in the Revolution is laid at Fort 
Ticonderoga on the beautiful shore of Lake Champlain. 
Ethan Allen was a Connecticut boy who had gone out 
into the wild country between the Green Mountains 
and Lake Champlain. Here he became a bold leader 
of the frontiersmen, and when he heard of the fight 
at Lexington he marched his hardy men against the 
British at Fort Ticonderoga. These '' Green Mountain 
Boys" under their brave leader, "the Robin Hood of 
the forest," advanced at first with joyous shouts and 
then with stealthy tread into the forest thickets. The 
poet Bryant has described this advance as follows: 

How the dark wood rings with our voices shrill 

That startle the sleeping bird I 
To-morrow eve must the voice be still, 

And the step must fall unheard. 
The Briton lies by the blue Champlain, 

In Ticonderoga' s towers, 
And ere the sun rise twice again, 

Must they and the lake be ours. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON, TEE PILLAR 



6i 



The Briton and the Lake were ours because Allen 
and his brave band surprised the stronghold at day- 
break, and demanded its surrender "in the name of 
the Great Jehovah and 
the Continental Congress." 
The commander of the fort, 
who had hastily jumped 
out of bed and was still 
rubbing his eyes, thought 
it best to surrender, and he 
did so, May lo, 1775. 

The capture of this post 
was important because it 
cut the British line w^hich 
reached to Canada, and also 
because a large amount of 
military supplies fell into 
the hands of the Ameri- 
cans. The captured cannon 
were dragged on sledges over 
the snow to the sea coast 

and then sent to Boston. 

Ethan Allen 




This statue is placed in the 
Capitol Building at Washing- 
ton, D. C. 



The next scene in this 
great drama of liberty was 
on the top of Bunker Hill, 

near Boston. The Americans had fortified the top of this 
hill and the British army, under General Howe, was sent 
to drive them out. The British thought that the raw 



62 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



American soldiers would get excited and fire at them 
before they came within range of their guns. They planned 
then to drive them from their trenches with a bayonet 




Israel Putnam Starting for the Front 

When the Minute-Men were called it did not take Israel Putnam 
long to grasp his musket and powder horn. 

charge. In all of this they reckoned without the American 
leader, General Israel Putnam, a sturdy old frontier 
fighter. Putnam said he would punish severely any 
man who fired before he could see the whites of the eyes 
of the British. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE PILLAR 63 

The British came up the hill and the Americans 
held their fire until the enemy was only sixty feet 
away. Volley after 
volley followed and 
the British lines fell 
back, but formed 
again. Again they 
were repulsed. 

The British form- 
ed again and charged 
up the hill a third 
time. This time they 
were more careful. 
''A burnt child 
dreads the fire." 
They went up by a 
roundabout way. 
The ships in the 
harbor were helping 
them by hurling 
shells among the de- 
fenders of the hill. 
Charlestown , near 
by, was on fire. A 
great column of 
black smoke surrounded and almost blinded the Ameri- 
cans. Their ammunition gave out and they were com- 
pelled to fall back. The Briton was a victor on that 
June day on the top of Bunker Hill — but it was a 





Loncorcio o 



The Beginning of the Revo- 
lution 
Ethan Allen's "Green Mountain Boys" 
took Ticonderoga and the "Minute- 
Men" fought at Lexington and Con- 
cord. Charlestown burned while the 
battle raged on Bunker Hill. Notice 
that Maine at this time was a prov- 
ince of Massachusetts. 



64 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

pelled to fall back. The Briton was a victor on that 
June day on the top of Bunker Hill — but it was a 
very costly victory. He had lost one half of his whole 
force. A thousand Englishmen lay dead or dying on 
the slope of the hill. 
The Americans lost about one half of that number. 




The Battle of Bunker Hill 

The battle showed the Americans that they could stand against the 
British Regulars. 

But among these was General Joseph Warren, one of 
the truest and bravest men that ever drew sword on 
the field of battle. 

For the Americans it was a great moral victory. It 
gave them confidence in themselves. It showed them 
that their raw troops could stand up and fight success- 
fully against the British Regulars. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



65 




66 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Four days later he saddled his horse and set out for 
Boston. He had gone only twenty miles from home 
when he heard the news from Bunker Hill. His quick 
question was, "Did the mihtia fight?" When he was 
assured that they did, he exclaimed, ''Then the liberties 
of the country are safe." 

There was now a broad gap between the colonists 
and the Mother Country. Even the kindly FrankHn 
gave up all hope of reconciliation. The next step 
was to pass a Declaration of Independence and in 
this way tell the people of the world the reasons for 
breaking away from the control of England. This 
was done by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia 
on July 4, 1776. There was a long and vigorous 
debate. Some opposed the Declaration. People on 
the streets grew impatient. The old bell ringer in 
the State House waited and waited but the signal did 
not come. "They'll never do it! They'll never do it!" 
people began to mutter. Then finally the old man was 
told to Ring! and the old Liberty Bell peeled out the 
bold tidings. 

It seems now as if the old bell was made for just 
this purpose. Long years before, when the king and 
the colonists were at peace, this inscription taken from 
the Old Testament had been placed on the bell : 

Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the 
inhabitants thereof. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



67 



The Liberty Bell did its duty and the church bells 
and the cannon took up the refrain. Bonfires lit up 
the sky all the way from Massachusetts to Georgia. 



The fight was now on and George the Third was 
right when he said: "The die is cast; the colonies 
must either submit or triumph." 

They had already made arrangements to triumph. 




''The Spirit of '76" 

Several great painters have represented the Spirit of '76 on canvas. 
Here the Revolutionary soldier is going out to fight. 

On June 15, two days before the battle of Bunker Hill, 
the Continental Congress had chosen George Washing- 
ton Commander-in-chief of the American army. Wash- 
ington left the room in haste as soon as his name was 



68 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

mentioned by John Adams. He returned the next day, 
however, and said that since he was called, he would 
try to do his duty. He also said that he would accept 
no pay aside from his expenses. 

Washington rode on toward his post of duty. Early 
in July he arrived at Cambridge, near Boston, and 
hastily reviewed that motley crowd called the Conti- 
nental Army. As he sat on horseback under the 
famous elm at Cambridge his appearance was de- 
scribed as ''truly noble and majestic." Even a London 
paper remarked: ''There is not a king in Europe but 
would look like a house servant by his side." 

Washington was soon in serious business up to his 
ears. He took his army from Boston to defend New 
York and was defeated by General Howe in the Battle 
of Long Island. He saved his men from capture by the 
strategy of leaving his camp fires burning while he 
took his army across the river in the night. Washing- 
ton was a master in covering a retreat. On several 
occasions he saved his army from capture in this way. 
His position was now a perilous one and he retreated 
across New Jersey to the west side of the Delaware 
River. The British pushed after him hoping to capture 
the American army "bag and baggage." They might 
possibly have done so if they had not preferred the 
ease and comfort of winter quarters. 

These were dark days in the Revolution, but Wash- 
ington did not falter. He knew that Howe was in New 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 




Washington Crossing the Delaware 



70 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

York celebrating Christmas. The Germans, who were 
aiding the British, were in camp at Trenton, New 
Jersey, and Washington felt that they would be off 
their guard on account of a small amount of home- 
sickness and a large amount of drinking. He thought 
this a good time for a bold stroke. He was not 
mistaken. 

He determined to cross the Delaware River and 
strike Trenton. He did so on Christmas Day, 1776. 
The weather was both cold and dismal. The river 
was dotted with huge blocks of floating ice and the 
air was filled with a driving sleet. It seemed a perilous 
undertaking to take an army across this angry stream 
on such a day. One of Washington's generals told him 
that it could not be done. Washington did not agree 
with him. He picked out some expert boatmen from 
New England and tackled the job. After ten hours 
of cold and dangerous work, a large part of it under 
cover of the night, Washington had his Httle army on 
the Jersey shore. He then pushed on in the sleet and 
cold in order to reach Trenton, ten miles away, by day- 
break. The men were in a pitiable condition. Some 
of them were marching barefooted in the snow, leaving 
a trail of blood behind them. Some of the men had 
lost their guns in crossing the river. The remainder 
of the weapons were so water-soaked that they were 
almost useless. "We must depend on the bayonet,'^ 
said Washington. 

A sharp attack was promptly made and the German 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 71 

commander, with seventy men, was killed and a thou- 
sand men laid down their arms in surrender. 

Washington had won a brilliant victory but his 
position was still very dangerous. There was a British 
force of two thousand men only a few miles down the 
river. Seeing his danger, he went back with his pris- 
oners and spoils and recrossed the river. 

Three days later he again crossed over to the Jersey 
side. Lord Cornwallis, one of the British commanders, 
was about to embark for England, but instead of that 
he was sent to drive Washington back. He had laid 
plans to capture him or, as he said, to "run down the 
Old Fox." The two men exchanged compliments in 
the night with their big guns, and Cornwallis intended 
to attack early in the morning. Washington was 
getting ready. All through the night his camp fires 
burned brilHantly and the British sentinels could hear 
the blow of the spade and swing of the pickaxe as the 
Americans were building their entrenchments. When 
the British got ready to attack, they found, to their 
great surprise, that the American camp was empty. 
The bird had flown; or rather the Old Fox had made 
tracks for parts unknown. 

As soon as Cornwallis had time to look about him he 
found Washington cutting off the line to his base of 
supplies. After a fight near Princeton, the British 
withdrew to New York, leaving Washington in posses- 
sion of practically all of New Jersey. Washington's 
bold strokes at Trenton and Princeton had changed the 



72 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



whole face of the situation and there was great re- 
joicing in America. 

Other dark days were yet in store for Washington. 
Howe had collected a great army in the vicinity of 
Philadelphia for the purpose of taking that important 










The Battle of Princeton 
It was here that Washington won one of his most notable victories, 

place. He defeated Washington in two battles in the 
southeastern part of Pennsylvania, and then entered 
the city. 

Soon after this Washington went into winter quar- 
ters at Valley Forge, about twenty miles from Phila- 
delphia. This was a terrible winter and a severe test 
upon the fiber of Washington and his men. Washing- 
ton took his little army into the hills of Valley Forge 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



73 



about the middle of December, 1777, with no sheher 
for them save the bleak valleys and hillsides. They set 
to work at once throwing up entrenchments and build- 
ing log huts. 
There was a shortage of food for the men, and many 




Washington and Lafayette 
They are directing affairs at Valley Forge. 



horses died on account of lack of feed. Clothing 
was lacking and the men suffered terribly from the 
biting weather. Blood from their bare feet marked 
their tracks on the snow and the frozen ground. 
Instead of sleeping at night many of the men were com- 
pelled to sit up huddled around the camp fire in order 
to keep from freezing to death. 



74 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Sickness, of course, gripped the stricken camp. The 
frozen ground was, in many cases, the only hospital 
bed to be had. When he had been less than a week at 
Valley Forge Washington reported about three thou- 
sand men ''unfit for duty because of their nakedness 
in the bitter winter." 

Food was not particularly scarce but it was very hard 
to get. Howe's men in Philadelphia had enough, and 

to spare, while the 
Americans at Valley 
Forge, only a few 
miles away, were 
actually starving. 
"The Farmers of 
eastern Pennsylvania 
closed their ears to the 
groans of Valley Forge 
and brought meat and 
flour in great abun- 
dance to the British 
... at Philadelphia." 
It is said by some that these farmers were losing 
faith in the American cause and expected the British 
to win the war. They wanted to be on the winning 
side. There may be some truth in this explanation, 
but it should be remembered that the farmer got 
British gold for the supplies which he brought to Phila- 
delphia, while Washington had nothing to offer but the 
almost worthless paper money. The profiteer was 




Old Fort at Valley Forge as It 
Appears Today 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 75 

abroad in the land, and to make matters worse trans- 
portation facilities were very poor. 

Washington, however, was not a man to stand and 
twirl his thumbs and look on in a case of this kind. 
He ''took the bull by the horns " and announced that he 
would hang to a tree the first man whom he caught 
taking provisions to the British. He then sent out men 
with instructions to take food by force and to tell the 
people that they would be paid for it at some future 
time. 

In the midst of all this suffering there was some good 
cheer. The men were drawn into a closer comradeship 
by their hardships. They made the best of a bad situa- 
tion. Some of the officers gave a scanty dinner, now 
and then, to which only those who had holes in their 
trousers were invited. The others were looked upon 
as too aristocratic and "stuck up" to eat with the com- 
mon people. 

Washington had two brilliant young men with him 
during this winter at Valley Forge. One was Alexander 
Hamilton, born in the West Indies, and among the 
ablest men in the whole history of the public life of 
the United States. He was twenty-one years of age 
at the time, and was Washington's secretary and inti- 
mate personal friend. 

The other was the Marquis de Lafayette, who stole 
out of France and came to America to fight in behalf 
of the Colonies. The king of France had forbidden his 
going. The young Lafayette, who was only twenty 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




Alexander Hamilton 

Hamilton was born in the West Indies. 
He was making speeches on Government 
when he was seventeen. He helped to 
make our Constitution and to win the 
Revolution. He was killed in a duel 
with Aaron Burr when 47 years of age. 



years of age at the 
time, had a great 
enthusiasm for the 
American cause. 
"With the welfare of 
America," he wrote, 
"is closely linked the 
welfare of mankind." 
He was made a Major 
General in the Ameri- 
can army before he 
was twenty-one years 
old. 

There were some 
other men in this 
little company at Val- 
ley Forge who later 
became famous. Na- 
thanael Greene, a 
Quaker from Rhode 
Island, was one of the 
number. He was a 
blacksmith, who, by 
hard study, made him- 
self into a first-class 
soldier. He was with 
Washington at 



Trenton and now gave him his support at Valley Forge. 
He was later made Quarter-master-general of the army. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 77 

Henry Knox, a bookseller of Boston, had very little 
military training, but at the age of twenty-five he took 
charge of the artillery around Boston. He was now 
sharing the hardships of Vallty Forge. 

Daniel Morgan, an old Indian fighter, left his Vir- 
ginia farm at the outbreak of the war and hurried to 
Boston to join the army. He fought vaKantly in many 
battles, both before and after this time. He, too, 
was with Washington sharing the glories and the pri- 
vations of Valley Forge. 

Such was the winter that prevailed 
Within the crowded, frozen gorge; 

Such were the horrors that assailed 
The patriot band at Valley Forge. 

It was a midnight storm of woes 

To clear the sky for Freedom's morn; 

And such must ever be the throes 
The hour when Liberty is born. 

— Thomas Buchanan Read 



We must now turn back a little and follow the fortunes 
of another American army under Schuyler and Gates in 
eastern New York. In the summer of 1777 the British 
planned a bold campaign to cut the Colonies into two 
parts. General Burgoyne with one British army was to 
come down from Canada, and General Howe with another 
was to go up the Hudson from New York. They were 
to meet at Albany. 



78 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



As it happened, however, Howe's army was very 
busy about Philadelphia and when he sent General 
Chnton up the Hudson to meet Burgoyne it was too 
late. The Americans had combined against him in 
the important battle of Saratoga. 

As Burgoyne pushed southward General Schuyler, 




The Battle of Saratoga 

It was here that Arnold was wounded and protected the German 
soldier who shot him. 



who was in command of American forces, harassed 
him at every step. Supplies were burned, bridges were 
destroyed and trees were felled across his pathway, so 
that he could scarcely make a mile a day. He had to 
go on, however, as his retreat to Canada was now cut 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 79 

off by American forces. He pushed forward to his 
doom. A large amount of baggage made his progress 
slower still. It required thirty wagons to carry the 
belongings of the general himself. Not all of these 
things, it would seem, were necessary to a military 
campaign. Some of the packages were filled with 
choice Hquors. It is said that Burgoyne had champagne 
on his table ''almost to the day of final disaster." 

In the meantime, there was no word from Howe, 
and Burgoyne kept w^ondering why he did not come. 
Messengers were sent to find the cause of the delay, but 
they never came back. They were caught and hanged as 
spies while trying to get through the American lines. 

Burgoyne's situation was becoming desperate. The 
Americans were getting him in a comer. Washington 
was keeping Howe entertained about Philadelphia, and 
no help could be sent to Burgoyne. Finally on Sep- 
tember 19, in a battle, usually known as the First 
Battle of Freeman's Farm, Burgoyne tried to cut his 
way out and thus save his army from defeat and cap- 
ture. He failed with a heavy loss. 

In the meantime, Congress had removed Schuyler 
from the command and had given it to General Gates. 
Gates was a selfish and tricky man and was not loyal 
to Washington. 

Another important move had also been made. Howe 
had instructed General Clinton to go up the Hudson 
and help Burgoyne. Clinton started, but it was now 
too late. 



8o 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




Scenes of the Latter Part of the 
Revolution 

This map shows the scene of Burgoyne's 
surrender at Saratoga and of Washing- 
ton's briUiant strokes at Trenton and 
Princeton. It also shows the location 
of Washington's dismal camp at Valley 
Forge and the scene of the final triumph 
at Yorktown. 

Burgoyne was in a trap. He 



There was no time 
to be lost. Burgoyne 
now fought his 
Second Battle of 
Freeman's Farm, 
near Saratoga. Here 
he was badly beaten 
and Benedict Arnold, 
who later turned 
traitor to his country, 
displayed most amaz- 
ing bravery on the 
American side. ''Call 
that man back," said 
Gates, as Arnold 
dashed off on horse- 
back, "or he will do 
something rash." 
Arnold couldn't hear 
the call, and came 
back only when the 
victory was won. A 
large part of this 
battle was fought in 
the dense woods, and 
here the American 
frontiersmen were 
perfectly at home, 
could neither retreat 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 8i 

nor advance. His camp was commanded by American 
guns and he was not strong enough to cut his way out. 
American sharpshooters, perched high in the trees, 
picked off any Britisher who ventured out into the open. 
Horses were killed in the same way. Sometimes a cap 
was hung out to draw the fire of the riflemen. Bullets 
riddled it instantly. Food was scanty. The Indian 
allies had sulked off, and the German hired soldiers 
were homesick and tired of the whole business. Finally 
ten days after the second battle, Burgoyne surrendered 
his entire army to Gates on October 17, 1777. This 
battle was the turning-point in the Revolution, and a 
great English historian has called it one of the fifteen 
decisive battles of the world. 

It is not pleasant to relate that some of the officers 
of the American army were not loyal to Washington. 
Arnold betrayed his confidence and finally went over 
and fought for the British. Gates was a timid and 
jealous schemer. Some others formed a conspiracy 
against Washington and tried to depose him and put 
someone else in his place. Arnold finally left America 
and went to England. It would have been well if 
some others had done the same thing. A famous pick- 
pocket once wrote a play to be acted by his fellow- 
convicts who had been sent out of the country for 
crime. One line of the play read as follows: 

True patriots we, for, be it understood, 
We left our country for our country's good. 



82 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Some of Washington's enemies might have been 
better patriots if they had followed the example of the 
pickpocket and his associates at Botany Bay. 



After the surrender at Saratoga the British cause 
in America was doomed. The final scene in the great 
drama was enacted at Yorktown, Virginia. 







i 


u 


1^ 




-mmm 


V*:.. .'"pm 



WASraNGTON AND LaFAYETTE 

Thq two friends here appear after the victory at Yorktown. 

Yorktown is on the shore in the eastern part of the 
state, near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Here: Corn- 
wallis threw up his fortifications and settled down. 
Without knowing it, he had placed himself in a trap. 
Some French troops joined forces with Washington at 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 83 

New York and marched south to cut off his retreat by 
land. A large French fleet under Count de Grasse 
suddenly appeared and took control of the sea. De 
Grasse was a born fighter. His men said that ordi- 
narily he was about six feet tall, but when fighting a 
battle he was six inches taller. 

Alexander Hamilton was there and so was General 
Lafayette. In speaking of Lafayette, Cornwallis said 
that he would run out some day and capture ''the boy;" 
but ''the boy," with his small force of men, succeeded 
in keeping out of his reach. 

The assault began and the Americans riddled the 
town with their guns. One of the French soldiers later 
said that there were "big holes made by bombs, cannon 
balls, splinters, barely covered graves, arms and legs 
of blacks and whites scattered here and there, most of 
the houses riddled with shot and devoid of window- 
panes." 

Cornwallis thought of flight but that seemed hope- 
less. He finally surrendered his entire army of seven 
thousand men. "I thought it would have been wanton 
and not human," he said later, "to sacrifice the lives 
of this smafl body of gaflant soldiers." 

The British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 
1 781, practically ended the war. King George wanted 
to fight on but Parliament did not agree with him. 
Some httle fighting followed, but the treaty of peace 
was made by Franklin and others in 1783. Thus the 
American colonists had finally won their independence 



84 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

after eight years of hard fighting, much of it under the 
most disheartening conditions. 

Washington now returned to the home at Mount 
Vernon which he loved so well. Here he hoped to 
spend the remainder of his days. He said: "I had 
rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about 
me, than to be attended at the seat of government by 
the officers of State and the representatives of every 
power in Europe." 

His wish was not granted. He was soon called again 
into the service of his country. After the treaty of 
peace was made things did not go well with the govern- 
ment. The form of government was not good and a 
convention was called in Philadelphia to make a new 
one. The result was the Constitution of the United 
States under which we are now living. Washington 
was a delegate to this convention from Virginia. Being 
the leading man in that body, he was made the pre- 
siding officer. 

A little later the people, with one voice, chose him 
to be the first President of the United States. After 
holding this office for eight years he was again per- 
mitted to return to the beloved shades of Mount 
Vernon. By this time, however, there was not much 
left of his earthly career. 

For a long time we had a wrong idea about Wash- 
ington as a boy. A man named Mason Weems wrote 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 85 

a book about him and pictured him as a goody-good 
kind of fellow. He related stories about Washington's 
boyhood, many of which were not true. Washington 
was not a faultless and conceited little prig with a 
starched collar around his neck and curls hanging 
down his back. He didn't run and tattle every time 
another boy offended him. He fought his own battles. He 
had a high temper, but usually kept it well under control. 

Like most other boys he was always on tiptoe when 
the circus came around. A little later in life he was 
fond of a good horse-race. The fox-hunt, the cock- 
fight, and other rough frontier sports appealed to him. 
He liked to roam through the forests in search of big 
game and to spend the night in the open air. "Happy," 
said he, "is the man who gets the berth nearest the fire." 
He was also a favorite in society and liked to dance the 
stately minuet. 

As a man he always liked good clothes. "He had a 
weakness for gold lace, silk stockings, and silver span- 
gles. His liking for fine feathers never quite forsook 
him." Unlike his friend Thomas Jefferson, he cared a 
great deal for dignity and ceremony. 

He was subject to the same diseases that other 
people were. "He suffered at times from measles, 
smallpox, malaria, and toothache, and late in life he 
solemnly put it on record that his false teeth were a 
misfit." Washington himself was not deceived. He 
knew perfectly well that in many respects he was just 
like other people. 



86 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Washington was a good, careful, thrifty business 
man. He kept an exact account of his expenses, even 
to the cost of repairing a hairpin for one of the women 
of his household. 

He read books on agriculture. He did not guess at 
things. He found that there were 844,800 grass seeds 
to the pound, and from this he figured out the amount 
which should be sown to the acre. 

Washington was one of the largest landowners of 
his time. He was also one of the richest men in Amer- 
ica. When he died he owned 60,000 acres of land and 
his property was valued at $530,000. In his will he 
remembered forty-one relatives of his wife and himself. 
He had no children. ''God left him childless that he 
might be the father of the Country." 

Best of all, Washington was a true and an honest 
man. He always stood for what he believed to be 
right. When the British put the tax on tea, he ban- 
ished tea from his table. When war was threatened, 
he said he would, if necessary, raise and equip out of 
his own pocket a thousand men and march with them 
to Boston. One who knew him well said that he 
was ''the honestest man that ever adorned human 
nature." 

When we review Washington's career from his boy- 
hood in the wilderness to his final resting place on the 
bank of the Potomac, we can readily see why it was 
that he was called: "First in War, First in Peace, 
First in the hearts of his Countrymen." 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 87 

He died peacefully at Mount Vernon in 1799 at the 
age of sixty -seven. 

His work well done, the leader stepped aside, 
Spurning a crown with more than kingly pride. 
Content to wear the highest crown of worth. 
While time endures, First Citizen of earth. 

— James J. Roche 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Why is Washington called '* the Pillar of the Republic"? 

2. What was the cause of the ** Boston Massacre "? 

3. What were the *' Intolerable Acts"? Why were they 

so-called? 

4. Who were the ** Minute-Men "? 

5. Why was the capture of Fort Ticonderoga important? 

6. Where is Bunker Hill located? 

7. What noted men were with Washington at Valley Forge? 

8. Why was Burgoyne's surrender called a ** turning-point" 

in the war? 

9. What important event took place on October 19, 1781? 

10. How did Washington and Patrick Henry compare as busi- 

ness men? 

11. Read Holmes' "Grandmother's Story of Bunker-Hill Battle." 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Potomac po-to'mak 

Marquis de Lafayette mar'kwis d La-fa-et' 

Burgoyne ber-goin' 



CHAPTER VI 
A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 

Nathanael Greene, the Fighting Quaker 

While Washington had a most difficult task to 
perform he was not called upon to fight the battles 
of the Revolution alone. He had valiant helpers. One 
of the foremost of these was Nathanael Greene, The 
Fighting Quaker. 

Greene was a farmer and blacksmith, born in Rhode 
Island, in 1742. He went to the country school for 
a time but did not remain there very long. His father 
was a plain man who did not believe in very much 
education. He thought if a boy could read, write, 
spell, and solve a few simple problems in arithmetic 
that nothing else was necessary. 

As a boy Nathanael worked on the farm, in the mill, 
and in the blacksmith shop. He also found time to 
read good books. He studied law, joined the militia, 
and became a careful student of military tactics. 

After the battle of Lexington, troops were raised 
in Rhode Island and sent to join the Continental army 
under Washington at Cambridge. Greene was in com- 
mand of these troops. Washington saw at once that 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



he would make a good soldier, and gave him an im- 
portant post. Washington's judgment was correct. 
Greene turned out to be ''the best man in the Ameri- 
can army next to Washington himself." 

Greene was in favor, at an early time, of the inde- 
pendence of the colonies, and 
had written to the Rhode 
Island men in Congress, ask- 
ing them to vote for the 
Declaration. He was also in 
the battle of Bunker Hill and 
was able to give valuable 
advice as a result of his 
mihtary studies. 

At Trenton he commanded 
one wing of Washington's 
army. A little later, by great 
skill, he saved the American 
army from destruction on the 
Brandy wine Creek. He also 
fought bravely at German- 
town, when, in the dense fog, . 

one part of the American army fired upon another part. 
These two battles were fought in south-eastern Pennsyl- 
vania, about the time that Burgoyne was surrendering 
to Gates at Saratoga. 

In the following year he accepted the office of Quar- 
ter-master-general of the army with the understanding 
that he would still have the right to command his 




Nathanael Greene 

Greene was Washington's right- 
hand man in the Revolution. 
He could do a great deal with 
a few men. He was kind and 
generous to his enemies. 



go THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

troops in action. Greene was a real fighting man. 
In his new office it was his duty to provide and dis- 
tribute supphes for the army. This work had not 
been well done, and the experience of Washington's 
men at Valley Forge was disastrous on this account. 
General Greene did good work at his new post. 

On account of his knowledge of military law Greene 
was made head of the court which passed upon the 
case of Major John Andre. A recent writer has re- 
marked that ''no soldier in America was better versed 
in the military art in all its details than Greene." 

Perhaps it would be well to say a few words about 
the interesting career of John Andre. We have already 
made the acquaintance of Benedict Arnold. Arnold 
was a Connecticut bookseller, and enlisted early in the 
Revolution. He performed dazzling feats of bravery 
at Quebec, Saratoga, and other places. He finally 
came to the conclusion that Congress hadn't treated 
him fairly. He wished to be promoted more rapidly 
than he was. In a dark moment he made up his 
mind to obtain command of West Point on the Hudson 
River and then surrender himself and the fortress to 
the British. 

Washington, not suspecting his plans, gave him the 
command. He then began his correspondence with 
the British and General Clinton appointed Major 
John Andre, a bright young officer, to talk the matter 
over with Arnold. Andre assumed the name of ''John 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 91 

Anderson" and met Arnold in the woods at night a 
short distance below West Point, on the west side of 
the river. The meeting place was a dark and secluded 
spot among the fir trees — " the haunt of the owl and 
whippoorwill." 

On his way back to the British army in New York 
Andre was captured near Tarrytown — a place since 
made famous by Washington Irving in his stories of 
Rip Van Winkle and other characters. 

The court over which General Greene presided 
decided that Andre was a spy and, according to the 
law of nations, should be put to death. He was hanged 
on October 2, 1780, and his ashes were later taken to 
London for burial. Arnold escaped to England and 
lived the dismal life of a traitor. He did not accomplish 
much in the British army as he was never trusted there. 

It was in the South, however, and rather late in 
the war, that Greene did his best w^ork. When the tide 
of war was going against the British they made a 
strong attempt to save Georgia and the two Carolinas. 
Cornwalhs was in command in the South. This was 
about a year before his surrender at Yorktown. Gen- 
eral Gates had command of the American army and 
things were not going very well for the American cause. 
So, about two weeks after the execution of Andre, Greene 
was appointed to take the place of Gates. Cornwallis 
soon saw that he was facing a very different kind of 
man. Greene was far more able and energetic. 



92 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Greene went south and took command of the Ameri- 
can army early in December. He soon put things in 
fighting shape. In doing this he was assisted by several 
notable leaders. One of these was Daniel Morgan, the 
famous fighter from Virginia, whom we have already 

met. Morgan took 
charge of the west- 
ern part of the 
American army and 
defeated the British 
in the battle of Cow- 
pens, in the north- 
ern part of South 
Carolina, about the 
middle of January. 
Greene also set 
his army in motion 
and, joining hands 
with Morgan after 
the battle of Cow- 
pens, started across 
North CaroHna to- 
wards Virginia. A 
noted historian has called this march "one of the most 
dramatic retreats in miUtary annals." 

CornwaUis started after him in hot pursuit. Before 
beginning the race, he destroyed large quantities of 
supplies and burned his heavy baggage so that he 
might march rapidly. It was a merry chase. The 




The Revolutionary War in the 

South 

Greene and Cornwallis raced across 
North Carolina from Cowpens to the 
River Dan. Marion's men were en- 
camped on the Big Pedee River and 
Andrew Jackson fought at Hanging 
Rock. 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 93 

two armies sped on in a northeasterly direction across 
the central part of North Carolina. Sometimes they 
were so close together that they seemed to be one army 
rather than two. 

If you will look at the map you will notice that 
several rivers had to be crossed on this march. These 
streams seemed to be as friendly to the Americans as 
the Red Sea was to the Hebrews in the time of Moses. 
A series of hea\y rains came on and the Americans 
were fortunate enough, in each case, to get across the 
stream before high water. By the time the British 
came up the streams were swollen and their progress 
was delayed. The rivers in their courses certainly 
fought on the side of the Americans in this race. 

Finally the Americans reached the River Dan at 
the boundary line between North Carolina and Vir- 
ginia. Here they crossed over into Virginia. A short 
time later CornwalHs appeared in sight but the river 
was then a raging torrent and he could not cross. Here 
he gave up the chase, turned back, and went into camp 
a few miles to the south. 

Greene now had time to look around him. He gath- 
ered up some recruits, recrossed the Dan and sud- 
denly appeared with his whole force at Guilford Court 
House in the interior of North Carolina. Here he 
took his stand. Cornwallis also appeared at this place 
after a tiresome and foodless march and then was 
fought "one of the severest battles in modern times." 
Cornwallis claimed a victory, but another such victory 
"would have ruined his army beyond repair." 



94 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



The whole campaign in the South was a very pecuHar 
one. The British won some victories, but after each 
victory they found themselves in danger and were com- 
pelled to move on. This was due to strategy rather 

than strength on the 
part of Greene. 
Greene excelled in 
dividing his oppo- 
nents, in enticing them 
off on long marches, 
and in tiring them out. 
He had studied tactics 
of this kind long be- 
fore the war began. 
He would undoubtedly 
have made a good 
quarter-back on the 
football field. Finally 
Cornwallis, tired out 
and disgusted, left the 
far South and went 
northward to his doom 
at York town. 

General Greene had accomplished his purpose. ''All 
the boasted fabric of royal government in the South 
had come down with a crash and the Tories who had 
supported it were having evil days." 

At the close of the war Greene returned to Rhode 
Island, his native state, and was received with great 




News from Yorktown 

A rider on the back of a swift horse 
took the place of the telegraph and the 
telephone in those days. 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



95 



honor. The ''Hterary blacksmith" found himself fa- 
mous. Congress struck a gold medal in his honor and 
gave him. two field guns. 

The far South, which he had liberated, also showed 
its gratitude. South Carolina 
gave him a large landed estate 
which he sold to pay bills for 
the supplies of his army in the 
South. Georgia also gave 
him a beautiful plantation a 
few miles up the river from 
Savannah. He made his 
home at this place in the fall 
of 1785 and died of sunstroke 
in the following summer. 

Nathanael Greene has been 
highly honored in his native 
state, in the far south, and in 
the City of Washington. 
Rhode Island has placed a 
bronze statue of him in the 
National Capital, and he and 
Roger Williams represent 
that state in the National 
Hall of Statuary in the 

Capitol building. There is also a monument in his honor 
in the City of Savannah. 

One of the pleasantest things to read about, however, 
is the intimate friendship which existed between Wash- 




Nathanael Greene 

This statue is in Statuary Hall 
in the National Capitol at 
Washington, D. C. 



96 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

ington and Nathanael Greene. Washington always had 
the utmost confidence in Greene as a man and as a 
soldier. On the other hand, Greene respected and loved 
his great chief. When Greene died and it came to 
Washington's notice that his family was without means 
he wrote to Mrs. Greene and told her that if she would 
entrust her son, George Washington Greene, to his 
care he would ''give him as good an education as this 
country will afford." 

Daniel Morgan, A Diamond in the Rough 

Daniel Morgan was a big, rough, two-fisted fighter. 
He was a member of a Welsh family and was born 
in New Jersey, but early in life he moved to Virginia. 
While still a boy in his teens he enlisted for the old 
French War and became a wagon driver in General 
Braddock's Army. Here he came into close contact 
with the British Army officers. He didn't like them. 
One of them insulted him and he promptly knocked 
him down. Morgan got five hundred lashes for the 
offense, but the officer later made a public apology for 
the insult. 

Morgan was a giant in size and strength and his 
power of endurance was almost beyond belief. He had 
almost no education, but was a man of good intelHgence 
and was loyal to the core. He was a natural leader of 
men and well fitted for the wild campaigns of the 
backwoods. 

He was a match for the red man in skill and strategy, 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



97 



and more than a 
match for him in 
strength and daring. 
On one occasion he 
and his men were 
engaged in a fierce 
forest fight with the 
Indians and things 
were going against 
them. Nearly all of 
his men had fallen 
and Morgan himself 
had been shot through 
the neck. He was 
certain that he was 
about to die but was 
determined, as he said, 
''not to leave his 
scalp in the hands of a 
dirty Indian." Lean- 
ing forward, he put 
his arms around the 
neck of his horse and 
dashed away through 
the wilderness until, 
finally, his last pur- 
suer threw his tomahawk at him and turned back in 
disgust. 
After the old French War was over, Morgan went 




Daniel Morgan 

Daniel Morgan in the garb of a back- 
woodsman ready to fight the Indians 
or the British. He was an expert with 
the rifle. 



98 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

to the bad for a short time. He became a saloon 
fighter, gambler, and a hard drinker. However, he 
reformed, became the owner of some property, and 
was all ready for business when the Revolution 
broke out. 

You will remember that immediately after the battle 
of Bunker Hill, Washington went to Cambridge, near 
Boston, and took charge of the American army. A 
few days later old rough-and-ready Daniel Morgan 
reported for duty with his famous company of sharp- 
shooters. It was said that any one of these back- 
woodsmen, while marching at a double quick pace, 
could spht a squirrel with a bullet from his rifle, at a 
distance of three hundred yards. 



While at Cambridge Morgan fell in with Benedict 
Arnold and the two men were side by side in some of 
the most brilUant feats of the war. In the first year 
of the Revolution the Americans determined to invade 
Canada. Benedict Arnold was in charge of the ex- 
pedition, and Daniel Morgan was one of his companions. 
The men had a terrible time in getting to Canada 
through dense forests, tangled vines, and northern 
snows. Sometimes they had to wade through bogs 
with- their worn-out shoes. Again they forced their 
way through thorny bushes and lost parts of their 
clothing in so doing. They were short of food, and 
when wild game gave out they ate a number of their 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 99 

dogs. ^'My men," said Arnold, "were in want of 
everything except stout hearts." 

Finally the armies arrived at the frowning walls 
of Quebec — the most strongly fortified city in America. 
At two o'clock on the morning of New Year's Day, 1776, 
"in a bhnding snowstorm," they began the attack. 
Arnold was carried from the field in great agony drag- 
ging a broken leg behind him. Morgan stepped in and 
filled the gap and, with the aid of his Virginia riflemen, 
forced his way into the town only to be taken prisoner. 
He was discharged, however, about seven months later. 

You will remember that the Americans caught Bur- 
goyne in a trap and defeated him in the Second Battle 
of Freeman's Farm in the fall of 1777. Arnold was 
there and so was Morgan. Morgan was on the recep- 
tion committee and made a furious attack on the 
British just as soon as they appeared in view. Arnold 
had no command but he waded in just the same and 
charged the British with "mad fury." In the heat of 
the battle a wounded German soldier, lying on the 
ground, shot at Arnold, killed his horse and broke the 
General's leg above the knee. An American soldier, 
upon seeing this, ran up and was about to pin the 
wounded German to the ground with his bayonet when 
Arnold exclaimed, "For God's sake, don't hurt him; 
he's a fine fellow!" How much better it woiild have 
been for Arnold's reputation if he had died immediately 
after speaking those words! 



lOO 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



m 



We have already noticed that General Nathanael 
Greene went to North Carolina towards the close of 
the war and took command of the American army in 
the South. When he arrived there he found old Daniel 
Morgan, "a host in himself," ready to help him. 

Morgan was given charge of one part of the army 
and was to operate against General Tarleton, a brave 




Battle of Cowpens 



and skillful soldier. As Tarleton approached, Morgan 
retreated in order to find a battle ground suited to 
his liking. He chose a large cattle pasture, known as Cow- 
pens, and drew up his army with its back to the Broad 
River. He did this, he said, so that his raw militia, not 
being able to run away, would be compelled to fight. 

On the morning of January 17, 1781, Tarleton ap- 
peared. His men were wet, tired, and muddy but 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES loi 

he struck the American Hne at sunrise without delay. 
The British were confused by Morgan's peculiar tactics 
and his unusual military formations. They were com- 
pletely routed and lost heavily in killed, wounded, 
field guns, and small arms. "Their loss was about equal 
to the whole American force engaged." The Americans 
had only twelve men killed. 

From the standpoint of military tactics Cowpens is 
said to have been "the most brilliant battle of the 
War for Independence." Morgan was voted the thanks 
of Congress and was given a gold medal for this victory. 

A few months later, the Revolution was practically 
over. Morgan then went back to his old home in Vir- 
ginia and was a patriot in peace as well as in war. He 
served two terms in Congress and ended his stormy 
career in 1802 at the age of sixty-six. 



Francis Marion, "the Swamp Fox" 

Our band is few, but true and tried, 

Our leader frank and bold; 
The British soldier trembles 

When Marion's name is told. 
Our fortress is the good greenwood, 

Our tent the cypress- tree; 
We know the forest round us 

As seamen know the sea. 
We know its walls of thorny vines, 

Its glades of reedy grass, 
Its safe and silent islands 

Within the dark morass. — Bryant 



I02 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The war in the South was made illustrious by still 
another great name — that of General Francis Marion, 
The Swamp Fox, of South CaroHna. Marion, unlike 
Morgan, was a small and modest man. He had only 
a few men under his command — sometimes less than 
twenty and rarely more than seventy. These men 
were poorly equipped. At times they fought with 
swords made from old saws at the crossroads black- 
smith shop, and again they melted spoons and cups 
in order to get material for their bullets. 

These men were apparently just as much at home 
in their native swamps and jungles as the rabbits were 
in the thickets or the rooks and crows in the tree tops. 

With merry songs we mock the wind 

That in the pine-top grieves, 
And slumber long and sweetly 

On beds of oaken leaves. 

They sprang from their lair in the jungle where 
Lynch's Creek flows into the big Pedee, struck the 
enemy a stinging blow and retreated almost before 
he knew what was going on. 

A moment in the British camp — 

A moment — and away, 
Back to the pathless forest 

Before the peep of day. 

Marion's men enjoyed to the utmost these midnight 
marches, sudden surprises, and desperate hand to hand 
combats. 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 103 

Well knows the fair and friendly moon 

The band that Marion leads — 
The ghtter of their rifles, 

The scampering of their steeds. 
Tis life to guide the fiery barb 

Across the moonlight plain; 
'Tis life to feel the night-wind 

That lifts his tossing mane. 

Marion was born in South Carolina one week after 
the birth of George Washington in Virginia. His 
family belonged to that noble band of French people 
who had been driven from their native land by the 
tyranny of King Louis the Fourteenth. They were 
Huguenots and might well be called, ''the French Pil- 
grim Fathers." They were good citizens and had fight- 
ing blood in their veins. 

Marion's father was a planter or farmer on the 
Atlantic coast near Georgetown, and the boy worked 
on the home place until called away to fight the 
Cherokee Indians. 

When the Revolutionary War broke out Marion, of 
course, offered his services and was appointed captain 
of some local troops. He did not enter upon his whirl- 
wind career, however, until the year before the battle 
of Yorktown — and at that time he had only sixteen 
men under his command. 

He then proceeded to make life miserable for Corn- 
wallis. He would dart out and strike and then retreat. 
One of his exploits of this kind was at Nelson's Ferry 



I04 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



in South Carolina. Nelson's Ferry is in the eastern 
part of the state where one of the main wagon roads 
leading to Charleston crosses the Santee River. A 
company of British soldiers was approaching the Ferry 

when Marion and a 
few fohowers darted 
out from nowhere in 
particular, captured 
twenty-six of them, 
liberated one hundred 
and fifty American 
prisoners, and de- 
parted without losing 
a single man. 

Exploits like that 
at Nelson's Ferry 
were repeated over 
and over again. 
Marion had now 
established himself in 
his famous camp on 
the Pedee River and 
could defy the forces 
of the great Corn- 
walhs. This camp was described as "a most secluded 
spot . . . covered with forest trees and abounding with 
game." Marion felt very much at home in such a place as 
this. He knew the swamp paths but the British didn't. 
Neither was he afraid of the gaunt wolf or the rattlesnake. 



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Francis Marion 

This is the way he dashed through the 
forests and swamps of the South. Read 
the "Song of Marion's Men" by William 
CuUen Bryant. 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



105 



Cornwallis, at length, became very angry and sent 
General Tarleton in search of Marion. ''I sincerely 
hope," he said, ^'you will get at Mr. Marion." '^Mr. 





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General Marion and a British Officer 

General Marion and his guest had a meal consisting of sweet 
potatoes. The British officer ate almost nothing, while Marion de- 
clared it a very good meal. When the officer returned to his camp 
he said that men who were serving without pay and almost destitute 
of food and clothing could not be conquered. 

Marion," however, proved to be very hard to get. 
Tarleton scoured the country from Camden to Nelson's 
Ferry, burning houses and crops as he went. Along 
his line of march he left homeless women and children 



io6 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

huddled around bonfires in the open air of the chill 
November nights. But he did not ''get at Mr. Marion." 

Marion, on the contrary, in all his raids, was humane 
and even chivalrous. At a later time he was able to 
say, ''There is not one house burned by my orders or 
by any of my people. It is what I detest, to distress 
poor women and children." 

Tarleton also flogged people in an attempt to make them 
tell him where Marion's camp was located. He didn't 
succeed. The people were loyal to the great commander. 

The old "Swamp Fox" was living up to his name 
and was very hard to get sight of, although he did not 
remain in hiding all of the time. On one occasion he 
and his men "actually galloped into Georgetown and 
captured the commander of that post." And they also 
galloped back again in safety to their den in the forest. 

Marion stuck to his task and continued to help 
Greene in his campaign against the British in the South. 
Only a month before the surrender at Yorktown, in 
the battle of Eutaw Springs, Marion commanded the 
right wing of Greene's army. 

After the war was over he married a French woman, 
a member of a wealthy family, and settled down in his 
native state. He built a beautiful house on the Santee 
River, not far from Nelson's Ferry, the scene of one of 
his most daring raids. The Marion home, presided over 
by his young and charming bride, became famous for 
miles around on account of its most generous hos- 
pitality. Here he died at the age of sixty-three. 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



107 



Of all the picturesque characters of our Revolutionary period, 
there is perhaps no one who, in the memory of the people, is 
so closely associated with romantic adventure as Francis Marion. 

— John Fiske 



Thomas Sumter, ''The South Carolina Gamecock" 

We should not leave the Revolutionary War in the 
South without a few words about Thomas Sumter, 
whom the British called " The 
South Carolina Game cock.'' 
Sumter was a brilliant but 
an irregular sort of fighter, 
somewhat resembling Daniel 
Morgan and Francis Marion. 
Cornwallis called him "the 
greatest plague in this 
country," and said, "but for 
Sumter and Marion, South 
Carolina would be at peace." 

Sumter was a native of 
Virginia and was with General 
Braddock when he went down 
to defeat in the Valley of the 
Monongahela. At the out- 
break of the Revolutionary 
War he was again on duty 
as the commander of a com- 
pany of South Carolina rifle- 
men. Later like Marion he "hid in the swamps of the 



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Thomas Sumter 

Sumter, "the South Carolina 
Gamecock," was born in Vir- 
ginia in 1734. He was with 
Braddock at the time of his 
famous defeat, but survived to 
fight in tTie Revolution. He 
was a dashing fighter and 
pestered the British terribly. 



io8 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Santee and struck out at the British." He defeated them 
in the Battle of Hanging Rock which was fought not far 
from the scene of the battle of Cowpens in South 
Carolina. 

He beat them back! beneath the flame 

Of valor quailing, or the shock! 
And carved, at last, a hero's name 

Upon the glorious Hanging Rock. 

It was at Hanging Rock that Andrew Jackson, who 
later became President of the United States, fought his 
first battle. He was an orphan boy, only thirteen years 
of age at the time, but he put up a good fight. 

Sumter lived on for many years after the war and 
represented his state in both Houses of Congress. He 
was also our Minister to Brazil for a short time. He 
will always be remembered, however, as an expert in 
that wild kind of warfare which did so much to win 
Independence for the United States. In this kind of 
fighting he was second only to General Francis 
Marion. 

Unlike Marion, he was a tall man of powerful build. 
He lived to be ninety-eight years old and died at South 
Mount, not far from that Hanging Rock upon which he 
had carved his name. 

Nathan Hale, The Boy Patriot 

Before taking leave of this brilliant group of Revolu- 
tionary heroes let us pause for a moment and lay a rose 



A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES 



109 



upon the grave of Nathan Hale, The Boy Patriot. 
Hale's career was not a long one — he died at twenty- 
one — but it was exceedingly important to his country. 
Nathan Hale was born in Connecticut and was grad- 
uated from Yale College at the age of eighteen. He 




Nathan Hale in Disguise 

He is going about the British camp seeking information for the use 
of Washington. 



began his life work as a school teacher, but after the 
battle of Lexington he responded to his country's call. 
He entered active military service at once and soon 
became a captain. 

He was in New York with Washington in 1776 when 
the commander-in-chief wanted some information in re- 
gard to the British Army. Hale volunteered to enter 



no 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



the British camp and obtain this information. Aft t 
receiving his instructions from Washington he set oat 
upon his perilous task. He entered the enemy's camp 
on Long Island disguised as a young farmer — some 
say as a Dutch school teacher — and proceeded to get 




The Execution of Nathan Hale 



the information which Washington wanted. He was 
very thorough and painstaking about his task. He 
went about making close observations. He also made 
sketches and wrote down notes in regard to what he 
saw. 

Things were going beautifully with him until, in an 



GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARY HEROES in 

evil moment, a relative saw and recognized him. This 
relative was a Tory and he hastened to the British 
officers and told them what he had seen. 

The young Hale was taken to the headquarters of 
General Howe in one of the old mansions and was later 
locked up in the greenhouse for the night. The next 
day he told his captors what his name was and why he 
came into the British camp. It was really not necessary 
for him to do this as the papers found upon his person 
told the entire story. 

He was hanged as a spy on the following day with- 
out any trial whatever. His execution was carried out 
in a most heartless and brutal way. He was not per- 
mitted to have the services of a minister and even a 
copy of the Bible was denied him. He was permitted 
to write letters of farewell to his mother, sisters, and 
sweetheart, but even these were heartlessly destroyed 
before his eyes. 

Finally the executioner asked him, when his last mo- 
ment had arrived, if he had anything which he wished 
to say. His reply was, "I only regret that I have but 
one life to lose for my country." 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. What General ranked next to Washington in the Revolu- 

tionary War? 

2. Mention four men who were prominent in the War in the 

South. 

3. Trace on the map the race between Greene and Cornwallis. 

4. What was Greene's strategy in fighting? 



112 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

5. What was said to be the most brilliant battle of the Revolu- 

tion? Who was its leader? 

6. Why was General Francis Marion called " The Swamp Fox "? 

7. What did Cornwallis call Sumter? 

8. What boy of thirteen fought in the Battle of Hanging Rock? 

What high office did he afterwards hold? 

9. Why do we remember Nathan Hale? 

PRONOUNCING LIST 
Guilford girferd Andre an'dra 

Huguenots hu'ge-nots picturesque pik-ttir-esk' 



CHAPTER VII 

JOHN PAUL JONES, ** THE FATHER OF THE 
AMERICAN NAVY" 

Most of our great wars have been fought on the 
sea as well as on the land. This was true of the Ameri- 
can Revolution. When the war began the Americans 
had no navy. In the first year of the war, however, 
Congress ordered thirteen fighting ships to be built, 
and bought some merchant ships to be made over into 
vessels of war. This was a small beginning for a great 
navy, but the famous American sea rovers made the 
most of what they had. One of the boldest of these 
sea dogs was John Paul Jones, The Father of the Ameri- 
can Navy. 

John Paul, as he was called when a boy, was bom in 
Scotland. He was apprenticed to a shipmaster at the 
age of twelve. He made many sea voyages when quite 
young and was, for a short time, engaged in the slave 
trade. He did not like this job, however, and soon 
gave it up. 

He was apparently a self-reliant lad. When he was 
seventeen he had command of a vessel which was trad- 
ing with the West Indies. Two years before the Revo- 
lution broke out John Paul came to Virginia and settled 

113 



114 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



down in that place. His brother had recently died 
there and John Paul had inherited his estate. 

It should not really be said that he settled down in 
Virginia, because he never settled down anywhere. He 

was always in the current of 
active affairs. He never 
stopped. 

At the outbreak of the 
Revolution, and when he was 
twenty-eight years of age, he 
offered his services to Con- 
gress. They were accepted, 
and he was made an officer 
in the infant navy. It was 
at this time that he took the 
name of Jones out of admira- 
tion for General Wilhe Jones, 
a wealthy planter of North 
Carolina, who had befriended 
him in his days of poverty. 
From this time on he was 
known as John Paul Jones. 
Soon after this time he hoisted an American flag on 
the ship-of-war, Alfred. This was the first flag ever 
hoisted on an American war ship. The flag was a 
banner of yellow silk bearing the picture of a pine tree 
and a rattlesnake, with the words, "Don't tread on me." 
Jones was a kind of Francis Marion gone out to sea. 
He struck wherever he could find an enemy to strike. 




John Paul Jones 

John Paul Jones fought on 
many seas and under many- 
flags. His was a brave, un- 
daunted spirit. 




I HAVEN'T BEGUN TO FIGHT." — JOHN PAUL JONES 



JOHN PAUL JONES 115 

In the summer of 1777 he sailed away to Europe, on 
board the Ranger , looking for victims. In the spring of 
the following year, while prowling around the coasts 
and harbors of the British Isles, he landed at White- 
haven, England, spiked thirty-eight of the big British 
guns and then sailed away. 

The following summer found him cruising along the 
eastern shore of Scotland. The happy thought occurred 
to him that if he could capture a real live British noble- 
man he might exchange him for money or for Ameri- 
can prisoners. He also knew that the Earl of Selkirk, 
an old friend of his .father's, lived in that locality, near 
the mouth of the River Dee. 

Jones anchored the Ranger and, with a few men in 
a small boat, rowed to the mansion of the Earl, only 
to find that nis intended victim was not at home. He 
was about to go back to the boat empty-handed when 
one of his men announced that he was going to plunder 
the house and carry off the silver plate. Jones tried 
to persuade him not to do so, but to no avail. The 
man went in and made the demand and the terrified 
lady of the house handed over the family silver. A 
httle later, when the plunder of the expedition was sold, 
Jones bought the plate and sent it back to Lady Selkirk 
with a polite note of apology. It is said of John Paul 
Jones that he never forgot the friends of his boyhood days. 

In the following year, 1779, came the most memorable 
exploit of this great sea fighter. This time he was cruis- 
ing along the eastern coast of England. His boat was 



Ii6 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

the Bon Homme Richard (the good man Richard), named 
in honor of Poor Richard's Almanac. The boat was an 
old hulk which had been given to Jones by the King of 
France. "Her decks were too weak for her guns; her 
guns were too old for service," and her motley crew was 
made up of men from all quarters of the globe. 

While cruising along the shore in September, Jones 
sighted the Serapis, a fine, new, large, British frigate. 
In a moment the fight was on. The Serapis was the 
better sailor and thus had a great advantage. But 
Jones ran his old boat alongside and lashed the two 
vessels together with a two-inch cable. Then took 
place one of the most desperate and bloody sea fights 
in all history. The Richard was pretty well shot to 
pieces, but when Jones was asked if he was ready to 
surrender, his calm reply was, "I have not yet begun 
to fight." 

The battle was fought at night and the sky was lit 
up for miles around by the flames from the burning 
vessels. Both vessels were on fire, the Serapis in a 
dozen places at one time. Finally Jones shot away 
her main mast and she hauled down her flag and sur- 
rendered. The Richard, in her worthless condition, was 
abandoned and sank soon after in the North Sea. 

The British captain was not very cheerful about his 
surrender. He had known of Jones before and re- 
marked to him, ''It is painful to deliver up my sword 
to a man who has fought with a rope around his 
neck." He referred to the fact that the British govern- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 117 

ment had declared Jones a pirate and an outlaw and 
would hang him if caught. 

This victory caused great excitement all over the 
British Isles. The minister having charge of the navy 
wrote to one of his captains telling him to search the 
seas at once and declaring, ''that if he took Paul Jones, 
he would be as high in public estimation as if he had 
beaten the combined fleets of France and Spain." 

Some years after the close of the American Revolu- 
tion John Paul Jones became an ofhcer in the Russian 
navy and helped to defeat the Turks. A few years 
later the man who had fought under the flags of three 
nations and was highly honored by all three, died in 
Paris at the early age of forty-five. His career was as 
stormy as any of the seven seas over which he sailed. 
A few years ago his remains were conveyed in high 
honor to the United States and buried with all the 
honors of war in one of the buildings of the Naval 
Academy at Annapolis. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Who was the first man to hoist an American flag on a ship- 

of-war? 

2. Where did the fight between the Bon Homme Richard and 

Serapis take place? 

3. What is the purpose of the Naval Academy at Annapolis? 

4. Take a map and trace the wanderings of John Paul Jones. 

PRONOUNCING LIST 
Rangtr ran'jer Bon Homme Richard bon 6m re'shar 



CHAPTER VIII 
DANIEL BOONE, THE KENTUCKY PATHFINDER 

For a long time the settlements in America were 
scattered in a thin fringe along the Atlantic Coast. The 
country west of the Allegheny Mountains was left in the 
quiet possession of the Indian and the buffalo. After 
a time, however, venturesome men wanted to know 
what this western country looked like. They had a 
natural human curiosity. They had also heard stories 
of the fertile soil, fine rivers, and, above all, perhaps, 
of the wild game and fur-bearing animals. Hardy men 
packed up their few belongings, including a rifle and 
a powder horn, and started out with a shout of West- 
ward, ho! The Westward Movement was now on. 

This was the golden age of hunters, trappers, Indian 
fighters, and backwoodsmen, and the greatest of these 
was Daniel Boone. He was a pathfinder, and a path- 
maker as well, to the Far West, and many followed in 
his wake. The Far West in those days, it should be 
understood, was made up of the eastern parts of Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee. 

The southwestern part of England is famous as the 
home of heroes. Here lived Hawkins, Drake, and the 
other ''sea dogs of Devon" who made Great Britain 
famous on the ocean. 

ii8 



DANIEL BOONE 



119 



In this same neighborhood there Hved a Quaker 
named Squire Boone. Boone had heard many glowing 
tales about William Penn's Colony in North America. 
He had a dash of 
adventure in his blood 
and longed for the 
forests of the New 
World. He made up 
his mind to go and 
finally set sail, with 
some other members 
of his family. In due 
time he found his way 
up the Delaware River 
to Philadelphia. 

Boone immediately 
fell in love with the 
Quaker Colony and 
also with one of its 
fairest daughters, 
Miss Sarah Morgan. 
They were married 
soon after in the old 
Quaker Meeting- 
house and settled 

down to the life of pioneers. The clear blue smoke from 
their log cabin curled in a solitary and lonely way abo\^e 
the tall trees of the forest. 

The cabin was not lonely within, however, as chil- 




Daniel Boone and His Dog 

The dog, man's most faithful animal 
friend, followed Boone through the 
western forests. 



I20 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

dren soon began to arrive, and the sixth of these was 
named Daniel. He was born in the year 1734, not far 
from the present site of Reading, Pennsylvania. 

The young Daniel was not brought up with a silver 
spoon in his mouth. Neither did he amuse himself 
with mechanical toys like those of today. His pioneer 
mother was too busy to give him much attention. So 
he probably played on the floor with the furs which 
his father had brought home or fondly caressed his 
father's rifle, if left within his reach. 

As he grew up he lived the life of a pioneer boy. 
Even as a little fellow he became skillful in woodcraft. 
It is said that when he was about ten years old he was 
accustomed to kill birds and other small game with a 
''knob-root sapling" which he threw with great ac- 
curacy. 

At twelve his father made him a present of a rifle, 
and also gave him the task of furnishing meat for the 
family table. Never did a boy take more keen enjoy- 
ment in a task. Daniel felt supremely happy and im- 
portant when he went in search of game. He was a 
good hunter. He could tread the forest in his mocca- 
sined feet without breaking a twig or stirring a leaf. 

Needless to say, Boone did not care very much for 
book learning. As a matter of fact he ''never saw the 
inside of a school room" in his life. His mother and 
an aunt gave him all the instruction he ever received. 
His writing and speUing were always poor and his use 
of the English language was not like that of most other 



DANIEL BOONE 121 

people. On one of his woodland trips he cut an inscrip- 
tion in the bark of a beech tree to the effect that he 
had "cilled a bar" at that place. And in one of his 
letters he speaks of "sculping" the Indians and "fius- 
terating" their plans. Although he was uneducated, 
however, he had a bright, keen, and intelligent mind. 
In some respects, of course, he was highly educated. 
He studied nature's wide-open book during his entire Hfe. 
During the time that Daniel was not hunting or 
trapping he was engaged as a farmer, weaver, or black- 
smith. In those days the frontiersman had to do al- 
most everything himself. He was a ''Jack of all 
trades." Boone never had any great liking for any of 
these occupations, but he disliked the forge less than 
the others. It has been suggested that this was be- 
cause his blacksmith shop "enabled him to repair 
broken rifles and traps." During this whole time, 
whether he was aware of it or not, he was preparing 
himself for his great work by a careful study of the 
habits and traits of the American Indian. 



In North Carolina 

The early pioneer was restless. He loved to wander. 
So one day Squire Boone told his family that he was 
going to move to North Carolina. The family started 
off in a canvas top wagon, somewhat like the prairie 
schooner of a later date. Daniel was fifteen years of 
age at this time, and the trip was a great event in his life. 



122 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



The Boones drifted leisurely along and it was more 
than a year and a half before the crack of Boone's rifle 
"first woke the echoes of the Carolina Mountains." 
Daniel had found a hunter's paradise. There was an 
abundance of wild game on every hand. ''The buffalo, 







The Footprints of Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark 

This map should be referred to constantly in studying the careers of 
Boone and Clark. 

the elk, the Virginia deer, the bear, the panther, the 
wildcat, wolf, and fox wandered through the meadows 
and cane brakes about its. rivers, or took their repose 
amid the cool shades of its rocky heights." 

The Boone family was only nicely settled in its new 
home in the Valley of the Yadkin River when the 
French and Indian War came on. When the call came 



DANIEL BOONE 123 

for volunteers a hundred men from" North Carohna re- 
sponded for duty. Daniel Boone, a boy of twenty, was 
in this company. By rapid marching this little band 
arrived just in time to join General Braddock's expedi- 
tion against Fort Duquesne. 

It is not known that Boone did anything very won- 
derful in this war but he did form a very important 
acquaintance while he was with General Braddock. He 
fell in with John Findley, a hunter and pack-peddler, 
who had traveled in Kentucky. This meeting was the 
turning-point in Boone's career. Findley told him all 
about the fine climate, the beautiful forests, and the 
abundant game of the Kentucky country. This natu- 
rally fired him with a desire to visit that paradise of 
the backwoodsman. He did so soon after, and it was 
in this connection that he became famous. 

It is not well for a backwoodsman to be alone. So, 
in due time, Daniel Boone met Rebecca Bryan, a young 
girl, who was described as ''black-eyed and rosy- 
cheeked." It was a case of love at first sight. Rebecca 
was only fifteen at the time of her engagement and 
seventeen at the time of her marriage. Boone's father, 
who was a Justice of the Peace, read the marriage service 
for the happy pair. 

The blue smoke then curled up from another cabin 
in the wilderness. Baby James Boone arrived in the 
year following the marriage and two years later Israel 
Boone put in an appearance. In the course of time 
six other sons and daughters gathered around the Boone 



124 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



fireside. Their names were, Susannah, Jemima, Lavinia, 
Rebecca, Daniel, and John. 

In the meantime, Boone was working hard in the 
field and forest and living the care-free life in the open 
which he enjoyed so much. It was, not long, however, 

until the bliss of this 
quiet life was jarred 
by the war whoops of 
the Cherokee Indians. 
It looked for a time 
as though all of the 
western settlements 
would be wiped out of 
existence. And so 
Daniel and Rebecca 
gathered up their 
little children, and 
went in haste to the 
eastern shore of Vir- 
ginia. As soon as 
Boone hadestabhshed 
his family in that 
place he himself went back to North CaroHna to fight 
the Indians. When the danger from the red men was 
over he brought his family back again to the old home 
in North Carolina. 

Boone was still restless. He didn't care much for 
farming and game was becoming scarce in the Yadkin 
Valley. So, with his rifle on his shoulder, he was com- 





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Boone Fighting Indians 



DANIEL BOONE 125 

pelled to go long distances from home in order to find 
game. At one time he found himself on the Watauga 
River in eastern Tennessee. It was here that he 
''cilled a bar" and made note of it on the bark of a 
tree. 

He was charmed with the beauty and the silence of 
the whole country. On one occasion, when standing on 
a mountain peak and looking down upon the buffalo 
grazing peacefully below, he exclaimed; ''I am richer 
than the man mentioned in the Scripture, who owned 
the cattle on a thousand hills — I own the wild beasts 
of more than a thousand valleys." 

Soon after this we find Boone ranging about in 
Florida where he thought of setting up a new home. 
His wife was not in favor of this, however, and he gave 
it up. He was still restless and his heart still longed 
for the land about which his friend Findley had told 
him. 

As fate would have it, John Findley turned up just 
at this time, and was a guest in the Boone cabin during 
the entire winter. While the big logs crackled in the 
open fireplace, the two men made plans for an expedi- 
tion to Kentucky. A party was finally organized for 
the spring, composed of Boone, Findley, and four other 
hardy men from the Valley. 

To Kentucky 
On May Day, 1769, the party started towards the 
setting sun, leaving their wives and children behind 



126 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



1 



them. The men were equipped in the best backwoods 
fashion. Each man rode a horse and led another be- 
hind him, They were clad in leather shirts and breeches 




Boone's First Olimpse of Kentucky 

Boone's friend, John Findley, had told him that Kentucky was a 
beautiful country. It was even more beautiful than he expected 
and he stared and gazed in silence. 

and had soft moccasins on their feet. Their rifles glis- 
tened in the sunlight, while their knives and tomahawks 
hung conveniently at their sides. They must have pre- 
sented a striking picture as they waved a good-bye to 
their wives and children just before disappearing around 



DANIEL BOONE 127 

a bend in the road. The day was beautiful. ''It was 
a glorious morning for the commencement of a glorious 
enterprise." 

They finally reached the promised land and were not 
disappointed. Mother Nature had on her best dress and 
received the newcomers with a smile. Game was plen- 
tiful on every hand. The animals were also quite tame. 
The buffalo kept on grazing quietly as the hunters ap- 
proached. They were not frightened because they did 
not yet know that man was their enemy. They found 
this out a little later and soon learned to seek safety 
by a mad rush through the thickets. 

After toiling on for about two months Boone and 
his party halted, and pitched camp on a small stream 
in the east central part of the state. Going out from 
this camp as a center, they began to hunt and trap, 
and also to skin their fur-bearing victims. It was an 
easy matter to kill the animals and soon the hunters 
had an abundance of food for their meals and a fine 
stock of furs for the market. 

They lived undisturbed in the peace and quiet of 
their forest camp for some time. It then became evi- 
dent that the Indians were aware of their presence. 
The red men lurked about the valley and one evening 
they captured Boone and his brother-in-law John 
Stewart. The Indians then compelled Boone to show 
them the way to the camp. Upon arriving there they 
surprised and captured the other four men, and then 
proceeded to help themselves to whatever they wanted. 



128 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

They packed up the furs, weapons, and everything else 
of value and then released their prisoners after telhng 
them to leave the country as fast as their legs could 
carry them. Findley and three others were very glad 
to take the hint, but Boone and Stewart said they 
would remain in Kentucky and fight it out. 

The two men then began to shift for themselves. 
They entered a Shawnee camp in the neighborhood 
and took four horses. The Indians gave chase, and 
two days later Boone and Stewart were again in 
captivity. 

The Indians then told their captives that they were 
going to take them to a Shawnee Village, a long dis- 
tance away. They started out on their journey. On 
this journey Boone's keen mind made use of his Indian 
studies of a few years before. The two captives put 
themselves on their very best behavior, and soon the 
Indians began to have a kindly feeling towards them. 
They gave them more privileges as time went on and 
Boone was watching for his opportunity to escape. 

Finally, one night after they had been on the march 
for a week and while the Indians were all sleeping 
soundly, Boone thought it a good time to strike out. 
He wakened Stewart and the two men set out together. 
''Keeping well out of the glow of the camp fire, the 
two plucky backwoodsmen secured rifles, bullets, and 
pow^der, and, their moccasined feet never making a 
sound, vanished ghost-like into the darkness of the 
surrounding cane brake." 



DANIEL BOONE 129 

Findley and his three companions were in the mean- 
time making rapid strides for North CaroUna. Near 
the Cumberland gap they met Squire Boone, the brother 
of Daniel, and a companion who were bringing a load 
of supplies to the Boone camp in Kentucky. Findley 
and his followers related their sad experience and said 
that they believed Boone and Stewart were dead. After 
talking the matter over both parties started back for 
North CaroHna, when a very unexpected event occurred. 
Boone and Stewart came suddenly out of the forest and 
made their appearance before their astonished compan- 
ions. They were in rags and tatters, tired out and 
half starved. 

Boone told his story. Some of the men wanted to 
go back east, but Boone's spirit was unbroken and he 
declared his intention of going to Kentucky. He did 
so, and his brother and John Stewart and one other 
man accompanied him. Not long after this these four 
hardy men were sitting about a new camp fire in the 
Kentucky forest, not far from the embers of the old one. 

Once again the men started to roam the woods. One 
day Stewart did not return. The country round about 
the camp was searched, but all to no avail. Five years 
later Boone found some human bones in a hollow tree 
and the powder horn near by had the name of Stewart 
upon it. These remains told the tale of Stewart's 
fate. 



I30 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 
BOONESBORO 



In spite of all this Boone loved Kentucky. It was 
a beautiful place and the people were not crowded. 
There was ''elbow room and breathing space," as Boone 
once put it. Consequently he went back to North 











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Cumberland Gap 

Through this beautiful gap in the mountains Daniel Boone and 
his followers passed on their way to Kentucky. Find its location 
on the map. 

Carolina and, in 1773, with his wife and children, 
started for their permanent home in Kentucky. Five 
other families joined the line of march and traveled, 
sometimes on foot and sometimes on horseback, sleep- 
ing at night under the open sky. 

Boone's journey westward was sad and eventful. 



DANIEL BOONE 131 

While on the march he sent his son James with a few 
men to one of the frontier settlements to obtain some 
supplies. The trip was not a long one. The men 
started early in the morning and expected to return 
before dark. They reached the settlement, obtained 
their suppHes, and were on their way back when they 
lost the trail. Being compelled to go into camp for 
the night they built a fire, cooked their supper, and 
then rolled up in their blankets around the camp fire. 
The smoke from their camp attracted the attention of 
some skulking Shawnees who hung around until day- 
break and then made a surprise attack. Young James 
Boone, a fine, big, muscular lad of seventeen, fell under 
the red man's tomahawk, and so did all the others of 
the party with the exception of two — a negro and a 
white man. The two survivors found their way to 
Boone's camp, which was only three miles away, and 
told their story to the sorrowing father and mother. 

That was a gloomy morning for Daniel and Rebecca 
Boone. The father hurried to the scene of the mas- 
sacre and lovingly carried the body of his son back to 
the camp. The body of the young James was con- 
signed to mother earth and simple prayers went up 
from the lips of these forest children. The dense leaves 
overhead, fanned by the chilly October wind, sang a 
requiem over the newly made grave, and the travelers 
moved on. 

James Boone was the eldest son and at the age of 
seven had begun to go on hunting trips with his father. 



132 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

In this way a beautiful comradeship sprang up be- 
tween father and son. ''In the cold nights of the open 
camp, as Daniel and James lay under the frosty stars, 
the father kept the boy warm snuggled to his breast 
under the broad flap of his hunting shirt. Sometimes 
the two were away from home for months together, 
and Daniel declared Uttle James to be as good a woods- 
man as his father." 

A very serious debate took place in the quiet forest 
as soon as the burial was over. The majority of the 
party wanted to abandon the expedition. Boone's voice 
was on the other side. He wished to press on to Ken- 
tucky, the land of his dreams. However, the Indians 
became still more threatening and most of the party 
turned back. 

Boone, however, still hung around the locality. He 
found it very difficult to support his family in an 
abandoned hut which he found on the Clinch River. 
Finally in the following summer (1774) he pushed back 
into the interior of Kentucky and founded Boonesboro 
on the Kentucky River. 

On this trip he made a discovery. James Harrod 
had led a small company of men from Pennsylvania 
into Kentucky and had founded Harrodsburg only a 
short time before. If Boone's former expedition had 
not been interrupted by the death of his son, to him, 
and not to James Harrod, would have fallen the honor 
of having founded the first permanent white settle- 
ment in what is now the State of Kentucky. 



DANIEL BOONE 



133 



Richard Henderson 
Harrod and Boone had made their settlements in 
Kentucky in an irregular sort of way. They had only 
a very shadowy claim to the land and the Indians re- 
sisted them at every step. It now occurred to Richard 
Henderson of North Carolina to form a company and 




Daniel Boone Meets the Indians 
They are discussing the famous treaty made at Sycamore Shoals. 

obtain lands from the Indians by treaty. He accord- 
ingly organized a party known as the Transylvania 
Company and met the Indians at a place called Syca- 
more Shoals to make the bargain. This was in the 
spring of 1775. Twelve hundred red men met the 
whites in a very remarkable assembly at this place. 
Henderson was a masterful and attractive man, and 
as he spoke to the Indians they soon fell under his 



134 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

sway. There was one exception to this rule. Old 
Chief Dragging Canoe pleaded eloquently with his 
people not to sell their lands to the pale faces, but to 
no avail. The sale was made and it included almost all 
of the present state of Kentucky and a part of 
Tennessee. 

The Wilderness Road 

Henderson was now ready for action. He had known 
Daniel Boone back in the Yadkin Valley of North 
Carolina and now employed him to cut a way for his 
wagons into the heart of Kentucky. The result was 
the famous '^Wilderness Road." 

This road is one of the most noted in American his- 
tory and was an important route into the western 
country. Boone blazed the trees to indicate the trail, 
and his followers, with axe in hand, chopped their 
narrow passage through trees, vines, and dense under- 
growth, a distance of about two hundred miles. It was 
slow and difficult work. In one instance they had to 
cut their way through "a region of dead brushwood, 
through which not even the buffalo had penetrated." 

At times the road making was a fairly easy task. 
Boone and his men made use of the buffalo trails as 
much as they could. These trails were beaten down 
by the heavy animals as they went to and from the big 
''Salt Licks" of Kentucky. The buffalo was very fond 
of salt and sometimes went long distances to get it. 
On one occasion the attention of the road makers was 



DANIEL BOONE 135 

attracted by a low, rumbling sound not very far away. 
Going to the top of a little hill they looked down and 
saw a herd of hundreds of buffaloes lumbering along 
the trail with little calves frolicking by their sides. 

Life in Boonesboro was primitive and simple. Boone 
was the very center of it. He directed everything. As 
soon as the fort was finished Boone's wife and chil- 
dren came out and his home life was again established. 

Boone also had a part in drafting the simple laws 
which were made for the government of the colony. 
One of these laws, strangely enough, was for the pro- 
tection of wild game, and another 'Ho prevent profane 
swearing and Sabbath breaking." Most of these Ken- 
tucky pioneers were Scotch-Irish and were very strict 
in matters relating to religion and the Sabbath. They were 
also very thrifty and close in the care of their property. 
It was said of them that ''they kept the Sabbath and 
everything else that they could lay their hands on." 

While life in Boonesboro was simple it was also 
dangerous. Boone used to say, with some pride, that 
his wife and daughters were the first white women to 
look upon the Kentucky River. This honor was not 
without its dangers. One warm summer day Jemima 
Boone and Elizabeth and Fanny Calloway, the young 
daughters of one of Boone's most intimate friends, went 
out in a canoe on the Kentucky River. The care-free 
girls, from fourteen to sixteen years of age, paddled 
along for a time and then let their canoe drift into the 
bushes of the opposite shore. The Indians had been 



136 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

quiet for a long time, and the girls did not suspect 
any danger. In this they were mistaken. Five Shawnee 
braves were hiding near the shore waiting for the canoe 
to approach them. As the girls came near, one of the 
Indians waded out quietly into the water and grabbed 
the canoe and pulled it ashore almost before the girls 
knew what was going on. The younger girls were para- 
lyzed by fright, but the eldest, Elizabeth Calloway, 
swung her canoe paddle heavily upon the head of the 
Indian brave and made a deep wound in his scalp. She 
was quickly disarmed, however, and the five Indians set 
out to take the girls to the Shawnee towns on the north 
side of the Ohio River. 

The girls, true to their backwoods instinct, began to 
think of means of escape. They knew that the men 
of Boonesboro would set out in search of them as soon 
as they were missed. So, as they went along the trail, 
they were careful to make deep tracks in the path where 
the ground was wet and soft. Again, they stealthily 
broke little twigs on the bushes by the wayside and 
left them hanging down. As often as they could, with- 
out being seen by their captors, they tore fragments 
from their clothing and hung them like little flags on 
the thorn bushes as they passed. In this way they 
blazed a trail for their rescuers. 

It was nearly sundown before the girls were missed. 
A hasty search revealed the abandoned canoe and the 
marks of the scrambling on the river bank. Then the 
chase began. Two parties set out in pursuit of the 



DANIEL BOONE 137 

redskins. At the head of one was Richard Calloway, 
father of two of the missing girls. Daniel Boone led 
the other. In Boone's party were Samuel Henderson, 
Flanders Calloway, and John Holder, three young men 
to whom the girls were engaged to be married. This 
party set out on foot and with all the eagerness of a 
well trained pack of hounds. 

They had gone only a few miles when darkness came 
on. They turned in for the night but were up and off 
again at the first peep of dawn. Guided by the marks 
and signs which the girls had left along the way, they 
plunged on through the forest and made thirty miles 
on the second day. The next morning they were up 
again, bright and early, and off on the trail. After 
going a short distance they halted as they saw a line 
of blue smoke rising over the trees. Here their moc- 
casined feet trod softly as they closed in upon the 
camp. Boone could see the Indians about the fire 
cooking their breakfast while the three girls, tired and 
forlorn, were resting upon the ground a short distance 
away. The men closed in stealthily. Boone gave the 
signal and his men made a rush upon the Indians. The 
braves, taken by surprise, had no time to tomahawk 
their captives, but dived headlong into the cane brake 
leaving most of their weapons behind them. Boone 
and his men fired a volley after them and it is likely 
that some of the shots took effect. But the men were 
so delighted that they embraced the girls instead of 
pursuing the Indians. 



138 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



^' The Dark and Bloody Ground '' 
The fight for Kentucky went on. For years there was 
a running battle between the white man and the Indian 
for the possession of this beautiful country. The land 

finally became known as 
''The Dark and Bloody 
Ground.'' An Indian chief 
had said to Boone when the 
'^treaty of Sycamore Shoals 
was signed: "Brother, it is 
a fine land we sell to you, 
but I fear you will find it 
hard to hold." It turned out 
to be very hard to hold and 
many lives were lost in the 
attempt. 

In one instance Boone fell 
in the fight with his leg 
broken by a bullet, and a 
bloodthirsty brave was upon 
him with a whoop, with his 
axe raised to give the bold 
backwoodsman the finishing 
stroke. Simon Kenton, a 
young blond giant from Virginia, was too quick for him. 
His rifle cracked and the tomahawk fell from the harm- 
less hand. "Well, Simon," said Boone after the fight 
was over, "you behaved like a man." Backwoodsmen 
were often sparing of their words. 




Simon Kenton, "The Blond 
Giant" of Kentucky, 

who in his youth rescued Boone, 
became one of the foremost 
pioneers of the West. 



DANIEL BOONE 139 

Daniel got into still more trouble a little later on. 
A supply of salt was necessary to preserve the meat 
supply during the summer months. It was not easy 
to import salt so the Boonesboro people got a few large 
kettles and obtained their supply by boiling the water 
of the salt springs. 

Boonesboro was located near the central part of 
Kentucky and in the northern part, on the Licking 
River, was a famous Buffalo '4ick," known as ''Lower 
Blue Lick." To this Boone and a small party of men 
made a pilgrimage for salt boihng in midwinter of 1778. 
They planned on bringing back with them a year's 
supply. There was no great difficulty in getting to the 
Lick, as the buffaloes had made a wellbeaten path. 

Boone and his men reached the Lick in due time and 
settled down to their task. The boiling process con- 
tinued for several weeks, and during that time the men 
sent back large quantities of salt to the Fort. Their 
task was nearly finished and they were almost ready 
to return to Boonesboro when their leader was again 
taken captive. He was alone and about ten miles from 
the Blue Lick Camp, leading his packhorse, when a 
band of Shawnees, who had been watching him, took 
him by surprise in the midst of a blinding snowstorm. 
Boone released his horse and ran, dodging and darting 
through the trees. The Indians proved fleet of foot 
and soon Boone was captured and bound. 

The Indians took Boone to their encampment some 
miles away and then, to his dismay, he learned that 



I40 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




they were on their way to attack Boonesboro. There 
were about one hundred and twenty braves in the 
band and Black Fish was in command. 

The Indians were dehghted at the capture of such a 
prize. All of them had heard of the great backwoods- 
man, and some of them recognized him as the man who 
had escaped from their clutches several 
years before. They made merry with 
him and told him that he would not 
escape again. 

The Indians then told Boone that he 
would have to conduct them to the Blue 
Lick salt camp, which they intended to 
capture. Boone did some quick think- 
ing. He concluded that it would be 
better to have them attack the men at 
the salt camp than the women and 
children at Boonesboro. So he led 
the way and later persuaded his men to surrender with- 
out a fight. 

This capture, as Boone had expected, turned the 
minds of the Indians away from Boonesboro and the 
entire party headed for the Shawnee villages on the 
httle Miami River in the southwestern part of Ohio. 
The trip was difhcult. The weather was cold and the 
snow deep, and not much game ventured out. The 
men became very hungry and began to eat their dogs 
and horses. For several days they had nothing to eat 
but slippery elm bark. Much worn out, they finally 



Boone's 
Powder Horn 

Note the carv- 
ing on the horn. 



DANIEL BOONE 141 

reached the camp, near the present site of Xenia, 
Ohio. 

From this place they took their prisoners to General 
Hamilton, the British Governor at Detroit. It should 
be remembered, of course, that all of this took place 
in the midst of the American Revolution. Hamilton 
tried to buy Boone from the Indians but they would 
not hsten to it. Black Fish, the great chief, had de- 
termined to take Boone back to Ohio and adopt him as 
his own son. He did this, and Daniel Boone became 
"Big Turtle" of the Shawnees. 

The ordeal of adoption into an Indian tribe was by 
no means pleasant. The hair of the head was pulled 
out by the roots, with the exception of a small tuft 
on the top, which was decorated with ribbons in true 
barbaric fashion. The candidate was then plunged into 
the river and bathed and his face was painted in the 
latest Indian style. Boone was a skillful actor and 
gained the good will of the Indians by pretending that 
he appreciated the great honor which was being con- 
ferred upon him. 

Boone's Thrilling Escape 
Boone, in reality, was thinking more of escape than 
of honor. His new father gave him some privileges. 
He was allowed to go out on hunting expeditions and, 
when he did, he was in the habit of hiding away some 
of his bullets and powder to be used when he made his 
break for liberty. 



142 



Daniel Boone's 
Gun 

The notches show 
the number of In- 
dians killed by this 
weapon. 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

One day, when Boone had been in 
captivity for several months, he was sent 
with a company of Indians to boil salt at 
a spring near the Scioto River. When 
he returned a short time later he was 
surprised to find Indian braves, with 
their war paint on, crowding into the 
Shawnee village from all directions. He 
had learned a little something of the 
Shawnee language and soon found that 
a powerful expedition was being planned 
to destroy Boonesboro and other Ken- 
tucky settlements. Boone felt that he 
must act instantly to save his colony, as 
the march was to start within a week. 

There was no time to be lost. Boone 
must get back home to warn his people 
at any cost. He made his preparations 
hastily and threw the Indians off their 
guard. Early one morning, about the 
middle of June, so the story runs, while 
Black Fish was watching a flock of wild 
turkeys, his son. Big Turtle, made a 
dash for the Ohio River. This was the 
beginning of one of the most thrilling 
races for life in human history. Boone 
wanted to save the lives of his friends 
and relatives and to do this ''he raced 
through the forests at top speed." He 
waded in the beds of streams and used 



DANIEL BOONE 143 

all the arts of the backwoodsman to throw his pur- 
suers off the trail. 

He reached the Ohio and found the river out of its 
banks. How could he get across? Luckily he found 
an old canoe which had been abandoned in the bushes. 
After making some hasty repairs he pushed the canoe 
into the raging torrent and was soon on the Kentucky 
side. 

He again plunged into the thicket and made his way 
towards Boonesboro as fast as his legs could carry him. 
He had had almost nothing to eat since his flight began, 
as he did not wish to attract the attention of the Indi- 
ans by firing his gun. He slept a Httle at night in hollow 
logs or concealed in the dense underbrush. His legs 
and arms were cut and torn, and his feet were pounded 
and battered. He was faint with hunger and fatigue. 
Finally on the third day of his trip he shot a buffalo 
near the salt camp where he had been captured and 
treated himself to a good meal — the first one since 
his dash began. 

Finally, ''he staggered into Boonesboro, where he 
was welcomed as one risen from the dead." He had 
traveled one hundred and sixty miles in four days and 
had eaten only one meal. His wife had long since 
"given him up for dead," and had gone back to her 
old home in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina. 
She and her family traveled back to her father's house 
over the Wilderness Road which her husband had 
blazed. 



144 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The Attack on the Fort 

Boone warned his people and they prepared for the 
attack. Black Fish and his men were rather slow about 
starting and September came before the savages ap- 
peared outside Boonesboro. They came with about 
four hundred men under the command of Black Fish, 
Black Bird, Black Hoof, and other notable warriors. 
Boone had about seventy-five men for the defense 
of the Fort. 

Black Fish came with fine words and wanted to make 
a treaty and take the fort without a fight. Boone had 
several parleys with the chief in order to gain time to 
get ready for the defense. In the meantime the cattle 
were being brought into the Fort, the rifles made ready, 
and a supply of water stored up from a spring outside 
the stockade. When the talking was over, Boone told 
the Indians plainly that he "had determined to defend 
the Fort while a man was living." 

The siege began but the Indians were not able to 
make much headway. They were not good at that 
kind of warfare. Finally they resorted to deceit and 
strategy. They tried to tunnel under the Fort from 
the bank of the river. But the tunnel caved in and 
the Indians gave up the job in disgust. 

For nine days and nights the siege lasted and the 
Indians used a tremendous amount of ammunition. 
The Kentucky men picked up one hundred and twenty- 
five pounds of lead about the stockade^ while not less 



DANIEL BOONE 



145 



than one hundred pounds more were imbedded in the 
logs of the blockhouse. The Indians made no further 
attempt to capture the Fort commanded by Daniel 
Boone. 

Kentucky, ''The Dark and Bloody Ground," was 
thus won for the white men by Boone and his daring 
companions. 

In West Virginia and Missouri 

After doing his work in Kentucky, Boone, deeply 
in debt, took his wife and younger children and plunged 
once more into the 
backwoods. This 
time we find him with 
his rifle and traps in 
the forests of West 
Virginia. Here he 
took up his abode on 
the bank of the great 
Kanawha River. This 
was in 1778. 

The Boone family 
remained in West Vir- 
ginia for about eleven 
years. Then Boone once more, at the age of sixty-five, 
turned his face towards the setting sun. In other words 
he packed up his family and all his belongings (not very 
many) and crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri. 
When asked why he moved on again in his old age his 




Daniel Boone's Cabin 

This was the last of Boone's cabins in 
the Wilderness. It was in Missouri. 



146 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

simple reply was: ''Too crowded; I want more elbow 
room." 

In the meantime Boone had endeared himself very 
greatly to his neighbors. When he left West Virginia 
his friends gathered on the bank of the Kanawha and, 
with tears in their eyes, watched his little boat set off 
down stream for the Ohio. 

These people had known him for years as their store- 
keeper, friend, neighbor, and protector. They had also, 
on one occasion, elected him to represent them in the 
Legislature of Virginia. Faithful to his duty, he made 
his way through the forests and in due time appeared 
in the Legislative Hall with his rifle on his shoulder 
and his faithful dog at his heels. It does not appear 
that he was very much interested in the debates at 
Richmond as we find him homeward bound in a very 
short time. 

As Boone's boat went down the Ohio the old friends 
and neighbors in Kentucky stood on the bank and 
shouted and waved their greetings to the old pathfinder. 
Finally he passed over the ''Father of Waters" and 
built his last cabin for Rebecca Boone and himself not 
far from the present site of St. Louis. 

His fame had preceeded him to Missouri and he soon 
became a leader in the frontier settlements. He was a 
sort of Justice of the Peace, and decided cases on the 
basis of right. He didn't know or care much about 
law or evidence. When he found a man guilty of an 



DANIEL BOONE 147 

offense he sometimes sentenced him to be flogged with 
a hickory rod. When both parties to the case seemed 
to be at fault he ordered both to be switched. He also 
gave instructions that the rod should be ''well laid on.'' 

Boone worked hard and prospered and was able to 
pay off his debts, some of which he had made in Ken- 
tucky thirty years before. He was never able to save 
much, however, and at one time in Missouri his entire 
available capital was only fifty cents. 

Fourteen years after reaching Missouri Rebecca Boone 
died. Her life, on the whole, had been one of love and 
happiness in spite of its pioneer hardships. Daniel 
Boone was now very lonely and went to live with one 
of his sons. This son, however, Hved in a stone house 
which was quite palatial for Missouri in those days. 
Boone preferred the log cabin with ''the silent challenge 
of the forest." So he built a small hut in his son's 
yard and bunked there and broiled his venison steak on 
the end of a ramrod. 

He was comfortable in this place but soon grew rest- 
less again, and at the age of eighty-five began to have 
visions of another western trip — this time to California. 
His children, however, and possibly the grave on the 
river bank near by, persuaded him to remain in Missouri. 

He did not have long to tarry. He began to think 
of the "great adventure" upon which he must soon em- 
bark. He had no fears, however, of the "dark trail" 
into the unknown. 

His end came in the mellow days of September — 



148 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

just when the chill in the air would have called him 
out for a hunting trip. "Unburdened by the pangs of 
disease he went out serenely, by the gentle marches of 
sleep, into the new country." 

He was buried by the side of his beloved Rebecca, 
not far from the Missouri River. There the two pio- 
neers rested in the forest calm for twenty-five years. At 
the end of that time their ashes were carried back to 
Kentucky and buried at Frankfort, the capital of what 
was once the ''The Dark and Bloody Ground." A 
beautiful monument marks the spot. Their real monu- 
ment, however, is this busy, thriving, western country 
which these two brave souls had the courage and 
the hardihood to penetrate and to throw open to 
civilization. 

Note — The reader will find much additional information in regard 
to the opening of the West in Bruce's " Daniel Boone and the Wilder- 
ness Road," and in Constance Lindsay Skinner's " Pioneers of the Old 
Southwest." Many of the short quotations in this chapter are taken 
from these delightful books. 



HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. What was the "Westward Movement"? 

2. In what different states did Daniel Boone live? 

3. What was the first permanent white settlement in Kentucky? 

Where located? 

4. How did Boone make the ** Wilderness Road "? 

5. What was a *' Salt Lick "? 

6. Why was Kentucky called "■ The Dark and Bloody Ground "? 

7. Tell one adventure that Boone had with the Indians. 



DANIEL BOONE 149 

8. What happened at Sycamore Shoals? 

9. What did Boone do in Boonesboro? 

10. What service did such men as Daniel Boone and Simon 

Kenton render to this Country? 

11. Locate: Cumberland Gap, Wilderness Road, Kanawha River, 

Clinch River. 



PRONOUNCING LIST 

Reading red'ing Scioto si-o'to 

Allegheny al-le-ga'ny requiem re'kwi-em 

Duquesne du-kan' Jemima jem-i'ma 

Xenia ze'ni-a 



CHAPTER IX 

GEORGE ROGERS CLARK, THE SAVIOR OF THE 
NORTHWEST 



George Rogers Clark and Daniel Boone were alike 
in some ways but very unlike in others. Both 
were hardy frontiersmen. Both were daring fighters of 

dauntless courage. Both were 
men of iron will. Both were 
born on the Atlantic sea- 
board. And, most important 
of all, the work of each was 
done in the great western 
country. The West owes a 
great debt to each of these 
men for his fine services. The 
service rendered, however, 
was not the same in the two 
cases. 

Boone was a backwoods- 
man and trapper who led the 
way to an unexplored country, while Clark was a mih- 
tary commander who conquered a large tract of terri- 
tory. Boone led men in small numbers while Clark 
commanded an army. Boone was a hunter and Clark 

150 




George Rogers Clark 

This picture represents the 
"Savior of the Northwest" at 
the height of his miUtary career. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 151 

a soldier. Boone opened up the Kentucky country to 
settlement and led the way, while Clark conquered 
the territory between the Ohio and the Mississippi and 
added it to the domain of the United States. 

George Rogers Clark was born in Virginia in 1752. 
His birthplace is only a mile and a half from Monti- 
cello, the old home of Thomas Jefferson. The Clark 
family is of English origin. The founder of the family 
in America came to this country almost as early as the 
Pilgrim Fathers did. Soon after coming here, he mar- 
ried a Scotch girl who was known as "the red-haired 
beauty." This fact may account for the large amount 
of red hair in the Clark family. The mother of George 
Rogers Clark was Ann Rogers, a member of an old and 
prominent Virginia family. 

George Rogers Clark was a member of a family of 
ten — six boys and four girls. When the Revolutionary 
War broke out several of the boys enlisted in the Ameri- 
can army for regular service, while George Rogers made 
a plan of his own for striking the British in the North- 
west. One of his brothers joined him in this under- 
taking. 

The young Clark didn't spend very much time in 
school. He was a man of action rather than a student. 
He was able to write a fairly good letter but his spell- 
ing and grammar were rather poor. He was good in 
mathematics and, like Washington, was quite skillful 
as a surveyor. 

He was soon attracted by the loud call of the North- 



1^2 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

west and, when he was nineteen, he went across the 
mountains to explore and to survey. He hked the 
country and, apparently, was earning considerable money. 
In a letter to his father he said: ''I get a good deal of 
cash by surveying on this river." 

Clark, however, was more of a soldier than a sur- 
veyor, and soon after this time (1775), when the Shaw- 
nee Indians were making war upon Boone and his 
followers, we find him in Kentucky fighting for the 
settlers. Clark's old friend, Simon Kenton, who saved 
Boone from the Indian's tomahawk, was engaged in 
this same business. 

Clark thought the land in Kentucky the best in the 
world and wanted his father and mother to move out. 
The Indians were on the war path, however, and his 
parents thought it best to remain in Virginia a while 
longer. 

They did finally leave the old Virginia home and 
follow their sons into the western country. They took 
up their abode at Mulberry Hill, near Louisville. Here 
they built a rude log cabin with a chimney on the out- 
side. This cabin was still standing a short time ago, 
but was in a tumble-down condition. It was, apparently, 
the scene of many Indian attacks and "the logs are full 
of holes as a result." 

At this time Clark was described as a man of fine 
appearance and pleasing manners. He was bold and 
energetic and a natural leader of men. So about the 
time the Declaration of Independence was signed he 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 153 

began to think less about getting land and more about 
the safety and welfare of the Kentucky settlers. 

Kentucky, at this time, was under the control of 
Virginia and Clark went back to that State on one 
occasion to look after the interests of the western 
settlers. It is interesting to note that the journey was 
made over the Wilderness Road which Daniel Boone 
had cut through with so much toil and suffering. The 
trip was a hard one. The season was wet and Clark 
had his troubles. He lost his horse and walked until 
his feet were "blistered and sore." No wonder; he had 
traveled about seven hundred miles! 

Clark was delayed so long by the difficulties of the 
trip that the Virginia Legislature which he wished to 
consult about Kentucky was not in session when he 
arrived. He did the next best thing, possibly a better 
thing — he saw Governor Patrick Henry. Henry was 
sick at home at the time, but he met Clark and hstened 
to what he had to say about the Kentucky settlers and 
their dangers. 

The result of this meeting was that Clark got five 
hundred pounds of powder to take back with him for 
the defense of the settlers against the Indians. Five 
hundred pounds of powder would not have amounted 
to much in the great World War, but it was a tremen- 
dous help in the frontier wars of Kentucky. Clark was 
delighted to get it. 

The Virginia officials delivered the powder at Pitts- 
burgh and Clark set out to take it to Kentucky by the 



154 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



river route. This was a dangerous undertaking, as 
hostile Indians were constantly prowling along both 
banks of the river. And what a nice prize five hundred 
pounds of dry powder would be for the Indians to cap- 
ture! However, in spite of the danger, Clark got a 




George Rogers Clark and the Indians 

Clark had many meetings with the red men and usually succeeded 
in winning them over and making them his friends. 

few good boatmen to help him and started down 
stream. 

The powder was conveyed down the river without 
serious mishap, although the Indians fired into the 
party several times from the bushes along the banks. 

After leaving the river, Clark and his men were 
not able to carry the powder into the interior without 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 155 

assistance. So they divided up their precious burden 
and hid it away in several different places. At a later 
time parties of men came out from the settlements and 
took the powder to Harrodsburg, where it was received 
with much rejoicing. 

Clark now felt strong enough to strike out, not only 
against the Indians, but also against the British. The 
Revolution was on, of course, and British troops were 
stationed at Detroit, Vincennes, Kaskaskia, and other 
places in this western country. Clark felt that the 
British were inciting the Indians to make raids on the 
white settlements. He planned to put a stop to all 
this by striking boldly at the British posts. 

In the meantime, Clark and his men had to' "sleep with 
their eyes open." A little incident w^hich occurred at 
Harrodsburg will show how necessary it was for them to 
be always on guard. In the late summer some of the 
men were working in the field a short distance from the 
fort. Near them was a patch of high weed§. Not 
far off a herd of cattle began to grow restive. They 
looked around them instead of grazing. Clark im- 
mediately suspected what the trouble was. With a 
small party of men he stole quietly out of the Fort 
and, going in a roundabout way through the woods, 
came up in the rear of the patch of weeds. Four of the 
Indians hiding in the tall weeds wxre killed and the 
others were chased away to a big Indian camp which 
Clark and his men destroyed. 

In the meantime, Clark was getting ready to march 



156 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

against the British posts. He had thought some of 
going back to Virginia and joining the American army 
in the East, but came to the conclusion that he could 
do more good by a little revolution of his own in the 
western country. It was also true that the people 
of Kentucky had become very much attached to him 
and looked upon him as their strong defender. 

In order to get help for his expedition against the 
British posts he made a trip back to Virginia, but before 
he started he promised his friends in Kentucky that he 
would return to them. 

When Clark reached Virginia he went to the Gover- 
nor, Patrick Henry, and laid before him his plans 
for attacking the British. Henry was favorable to 
the plan, and called in Thomas Jefferson and two other 
men to talk the matter over with Clark and himself. 
The result was that Clark's plan was approved and he 
was given sixty thousand dollars to carry it out. 

In the meantime, the whole matter was to be kept a 
profound secret. Governor Henry prepared two sets of 
instructions — one to be made public, and the other, 
the real set, for Clark's guidance. It need not be said 
that the public instructions said nothing whatever 
about attacking the British posts. Clark, of course, 
was very much pleased to have his plan aided and 
approved by Governor Henry and others in Virginia. 

In January of 1778 Clark left Virginia and began to 
recruit men for his great undertaking. He got to- 
gether a few men for the enterprise and started joyfully 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 157 

down the river. They pitched camp on Corn Island in 
the Ohio River, near the present site of Louisville. 
Corn Island was a rather high spot of land. Clark 
said he noticed that it was almost always above water. 
Perhaps it should be noted at this point that Clark had 
not yet told his men what his secret instructions were, 
and they had no idea that they were going to attack 
the British. 

A few families had joined Clark's expedition for the 
purpose of estabhshing a settlement. These families set 
about to cut down the timber and clear up a part of 
the cane brake for their log cabins and crops. This 
Island has now completely disappeared. The timber 
was cut off and the rains and the current of the river 
gradually washed it away. 

Clark fortified one end of the Island, built store 
houses and huts and proceeded to recruit men for his 
expedition. He succeeded in getting only one company 
of Kentucky men. On account of the Indian mutter- 
ings it was not thought best to allow more men to go 
against the British. 

Expedition against Kaskaskia 

Finally, when all was in readiness, Clark told his men 
that they were going to march against the British at 
Kaskaskia. A few of the officers had undoubtedly 
known this before. Most of the men received the news 
with pleasure, but a part of one company did not. 
They left the Island stealthily before daybreak and 



158 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

made tracks for their forest homes. Clark sent mounted 
men after them, but they scattered through the woods 
and all escaped capture with the exception of a very 
few who were brought back to the camp in a most dis- 
tressed condition. 

Clark made up his mind that he ought to have about 
five hundred men in order to make his expedition a 
success. He could muster only one hundred and 
seventy-five, however, but this did not seem to dis- 
courage him. He was determined to push on. "I 
knew my case was desperate," he said, "but the more 
I reflected on my weakness, the more I was pleased 
with the enterprise." 

At the proper time Clark let out the rest of his 
secret by saying, ''We start at dawn tomorrow morn- 
ing." There was great excitement on the Island and sad 
farewells were tearfully said. The timid men had, for 
the most part, backed out and those remaining were 
ready for ''glory or the grave." 

It was a bright morning on the 24th of June, 1778, 
when Clark's men took to their boats. They must have 
been somewhat nervous and perhaps were made more 
so when the heavens were darkened by an almost total 
eclipse of the sun. The little company went up the 
river about a mile in order to get into the main channel, 
and then Clark tells us, "We shot the falls at the very 
moment of the sun being in a great eclipse." 

They pressed on with all speed, running day and 
night for four days, with 'different sets of boatmen. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 159 

Finally the company landed, hid the boats, and 
went the rest of the way to Kaskaskia overland. 
The trip was a very difficult one as the men had no 
horses or wagons or other means of conveying the bag- 
gage, aside from their own sturdy backs. In this way 
they pushed on for six days through brush and over 




George Rogers Clark Captures Kaskaskia 

He appeared unexpectedly at a ball and quietly told the dancers 
what his errand was. 

swamps until, on the evening of August 4, they came 
in sight of Kaskaskia. 

About midnight Clark and his men entered the town 
without being seen by the sentinels. Inside the Fort 
a merry dance was going on. Clark is said to have 
walked in and told the dancers to keep right on but to 
remember that they were now dancing under the con- 
trol of Virginia and not of Great Britain. 



i6o THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Simon Kenton, the powerful giant from Virginia, 
went to the bed where the Governor was peacefully 
sleeping and quietly placed him under arrest. And so 
Kaskaskia, the famous British post on the Mississippi, 
fell into the hands of the Americans without striking 
a blow. 

It might be well to remember that Kaskaskia was 
originally a French post and that now most of its 
inhabitants were French. Father Gibault, the wise 
and kindly Roman Catholic Priest, was the most in- 
fluential man at the post aside from the military officers. 
Clark gained the confidence of the good Father and 
from this time on he was ''a tower of strength to the 
Americans." 

The British in command of the place had told the 
inhabitants of the post that in case of their capture 
by the Americans they should expect no mercy. Now 
that they were in the hands of Clark and his men the 
people were greatly terrified. They were expecting the 
worst. 

On this occasion Clark showed himself to be a really 
great man. He soon found that the people of the post 
did not know anything about the real causes of the 
American Revolution. The British had kept them in 
ignorance or had misled them. Clark now explained 
the whole matter to the people in a plain and simple 
way. He said he had no desire to punish them in any 
way, and that if they would show their loyalty to the 
American cause, they would have the protection of the 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK i6i 

American Government and all the privileges of Ameri- 
can citizens. '^No sooner had they heard this," said 
Clark, ''than they fell into transports of joy that really 
surprised me." 

Clark was, of course, greatly pleased and told them 
that he would give them the oath of fidelity in a few 
days, after they had had time to think it over. They 




Fort Clark 

thought it over and gladly accepted the American 
terms. 

As a matter of fact, the people of these French posts 
had no great love for their British masters, and were 
glad enough to support the American cause. Kaskaskia 
then, with its two hundred and fifty families, became 
Fort Clark. 

Clark was still full of fight and energy. On the 



1 62 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

evening of the day upon which Kaskaskia surrendered 
he sent one of his officers with thirty mounted men to 
capture three other posts lying to the north and west. 
These men, almost worn out by fatigue and lack of 
sleep, surprised the posts and captured them very 
easily. The most important of these was Cahokia which, 
with its one hundred families, stood near the present 
site of St. Louis. 

In the meantime. Father Gibault was a great help in 
bringing the Americans and the French together. He 
told his people of the treaty which France had made 
with the colonies and this helped to win them over. 
In their backwoods homes the news of the treaty had 
not reached them before. 

Father Gibault did another good service. Clark's 
eyes were upon Vincennes as the most important of all 
the British posts. Father Gibault thought that by 
explaining matters to the French people at that post he 
could persuade them to come over to the American side. 
With a small party of men he set out and soon entered 
the town on the Wabash. He was well known and 
well liked at Vincennes, and soon the Indians were sur- 
prised at seeing the American flag floating over the 
Fort. They could not understand it. 

In the meantime, the British General Hamilton at 
Detroit had heard of the loss of Vincennes. He wanted 
to regain it and set out with five or six hundred men 
for that purpose. The Americans, who had only three 
or four men for the defense of the fort, surrendered 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 163 

''with the honors of war" in December of 1778. The 
British had marched six hundred miles in seventy-two 
days in order to reach the post. 

The news of the capture of Vincennes reached Clark 
sometime in the following month, and he made plans at 
once for its recovery. He had only two hundred men 
— one hundred Americans and one hundred Frenchmen. 
He knew that Hamilton would capture him in the spring 
if he did not capture Hamilton first. There was no time 
for delay. He planned a march across the entire state 
of Illinois through mud, ice, snow, and sleet to the post 
on the Wabash. Father Gibault, as usual, was "the 
power behind the throne." 

The March against Vincennes 

Finally on February 5, 1779, General Clark with his 
brave band, after receiving the blessing of Father Gi- 
bault, started against Vincennes. It was a great day at 
Kaskaskia. Everybody turned out to see the soldiers 
off on their march of two hundred and thirty miles. 

A few days later they came to a river which they 
crossed on trees felled for that purpose. The river was 
too deep for fording. After getting across they encamped 
on the bank without tents in the winter rain. 

The great level plain was a sea of water and in some 
instances the horses were obliged to swim. Clark did 
all sorts of things to keep up the spirits of his men, and 
often had them singing marching songs. When they 
found a small piece of high land they thought they were 



1 64 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

extremely lucky and pitched camp for the night. One 
morning on starting out they had to break ice one-half 
to three-quarters of an inch in thickness in order to wade 
through. 

While Clark encouraged his men in every possible way 
he was a stern commander. One time, when his men 
were in the water, he ordered one of his Majors, with 
twenty-five men, to bring up the rear and shoot down 
any man who tried to turn back. In one instance Clark 
tells us that the water was up to his shoulder and that 
the men were compelled to steady themselves by taking 
hold of the bushes and trees along the line of march. 

One day, when they were chilled through, half starved 
and nearly exhausted, an Indian canoe loaded with buf- 
falo meat and other provisions came into sight. The 
canoe was promptly seized and hot buffalo broth refreshed 
the worn-out soldiers. 

When Clark was about two miles from Vincennes he 
wrote a letter to the people of the village and told them 
'Ho keep out of the streets," as there was likely to be 
trouble. He said: ''I am determined to take your fort 
this night and I am now only two miles away." He ad- 
vised all '^ friends to the king" to join "the hair-buyer 
General." He always called General Hamilton "the 
hair-buyer" because it was said that he bought the 
scalps of white men brought in by the Indians. 

Clark watched his messenger go into the town with 
this letter, and then, with his field glasses a few moments 
later, he saw people rushing about the streets in great 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 165 

excitement. He said in his letter that he was not wilhng 
to surprise the town, but he had, apparently, given them 
a tremendous surprise. 

Clark wrote in his diary: ''A little before sunrise we 
moved, and displayed ourselves in full view of the town, 
crowds gazing at us. " He expected to see the fort bristle 
up, but it did not do so. There were no signs of life or 
activity. 

Finally, Clark opened fire on the fort. Even then the 
British did not suspect what was going on. They 
thought that a party of drunken Indians was saluting 
them. But when one of their men was shot down, the 
drums began to roar and the garrison was aroused to 
action. Clark later found that his letter had been posted 
up in the town but that no one had told the soldiers in 
the fort a single word about it. 

Clark kept up the firing from about eight o'clock in 
the evening until nine o'clock the following morning. 
During this time his men were not more than thirty 
yards from the walls of the fort, but they lay in pro- 
tected places. They were also such experts with the rifle 
that they picked off any man who appeared in an open- 
ing of the fort to fire a gun. 

Clark then sent Hamilton a letter demanding his sur- 
render and saying that if he were compelled to take the 
fort by storm he might expect ''such treatment as is 
justly due to a murderer." 

To this Hamilton quietly rephed that he was ''not dis- 
posed to be awed" into taking any step which was not 
worthy of a British officer. 



1 66 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The firing then began again and finally Hamilton pro- 
posed that he and Clark have a meeting and talk the 
matter over. This was done, and as a result Hamilton 
surrendered the fort and his men as prisoners of war. 

Clark had one man wounded and none killed. The sur- 
render was arranged on the afternoon of February 24, 
1779. On the morning of the 25th, at ten o'clock, the 
fort was turned over to General Clark. 

Clark had now wrested the whole of the territory be- 
tween the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers from the 
British and made it a part of the United States of Amer- 
ica. ''He followed the trail of the buffalo, and civi- 
lization followed him." 

The Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution thank- 
ing Clark for his services in conquering this Northwest 
Territory and the people of the United States have been 
thanking him ever since. 

Clark remained in the active service of his country 
until the close of the Revolution. He was then relieved 
of his command by Virginia in 1783. He had given the 
best years of his Hfe and money out of his own pocket 
to his country's cause. In return for this he received 
almost nothing. 

The Virginia Legislature did grant to him and his 
men 150,000 acres of land in the southern part of Indi- 
ana, and of this area Clark obtained about 8,000 acres. 
He didn't get much out of his land, however, and for 
several years before his death he lived in disappointment 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 167 

and poverty. He felt that his country had been 
ungrateful. 

The iron frame which had withstood the hardships of 
the Illinois swamps in mid- 
winter now broke down under 
the weight of his disappoint- 
ment. He lived in retire- 
ment, took no interest in 
public affairs, and tried to 
drown his sorrows with liquor. 

He never married and lived 
much of his time alone in an 
out-of-the-way cabin. Here 
he had a stroke of paralysis 
and fell over against the fire- 
place in such a way as to burn 
one of his legs severely. The 
leg was afterwards ampu- 
tated. Anaesthetics, of 
course, were not known in 
those days and General Clark 
ordered that drums and fifes 
be played while the operation 
was being performed. In the 
meantime, he bore up bravely, 
beating time with his fingers 
to the drums and fifes. He died near Louisville, 
Kentucky, in 1818, at the age of sixty-five, at the home 
of his sister. 




Statue of George Rogers 
Clark, in Indianapolis 

Notice the inscription at the 
base. 



1 68 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

There is a fine monument to the memory of George 
Rogers Clark at Monument Place, IndianapoHs, bearing 
this inscription: 

GENERAL 

GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 

CONQUEROR 

OF THE COUNTRY 

NORTHWEST OF THE RIVER OHIO 

FROM THE BRITISH 

1778-9 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. What was the great service of George Rogers Clark? 

2. What did Patrick Henry have to do with the work of Clark? 

3. In what way did Father Gibault help General Clark? 

4. Trace on the map the line of march from Kaskaskia to 

Vincennes. 

5. Why was the capture of Vincennes important? 

6. Why did Clark think that his country was ungrateful? 

7. Read Thompson's "Alice of Old Vincennes." 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Gibault zhe-bo' 
Cahokia ka-ho'ki-a 
anaesthetics an-es-thet'iks 



CHAPTER X 

**LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON, 
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" 

The Inauguration 

We have already noticed that a body of leading men 
met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to make a new 
Constitution for the United States. These men met in 
Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independ- 
ence had been signed a few years before. Washington 
was the president of this Convention and Benjamin 
FrankHn, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and 
other great American leaders were members of it. 

These men worked hard during the hot months of the 
summer and finally the Constitution was finished on 
September 17, 1787. This date is now celebrated in all 
parts of the United States as ''Constitution Day." 

After the Constitution was completed it had to be 
sent around to the various states for their approval. We 
now think a great deal of our Constitution but at. that 
time many good men were strongly opposed to it. Pat- 
rick Henry, for example, tried very hard to have it 
thrown overboard. But Washington, Franklin, Hamil- 
ton, Madison, and others were in favor of it and the 

thirteen states finally agreed to accept it. 

169 



lyo TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

It was arranged that the new form of government should 
go into effect on March 4, 1789. This was a very im- 
portant event. On the afternoon of March 3 the guns 
in New York harbor fired a farewell salute to the old 
form of government. On the following morning the 
same guns fired another salute to the new government 
and church bells all over the city rang out in honor of 
the great event. 

Not much of anything else, however, was done on 
March 4. Things moved slowly in those days. Roads 
were very poor, and men could not travel over them 
very rapidly. Many of the rivers had no bridges and 
crossing on the ice or on rafts or by fording was both 
dangerous and slow. The mail crept along at a snail's 
pace. So, the members of Congress were tardy in arriv- 
ing in New York, the seat of the government. 

Finally the members arrived, or a sufficient number of 
them, and the Electoral votes were counted. It was 
found that Washington had been elected President and 
John Adams, a cousin of Samuel, Vice-president. Wash- 
ington received every vote that was cast. 

A messenger was sent at once to Mount Vernon to 
notify him of his election. Washington knew that he 
was going to be elected and had everything about ready 
to depart for New York. 

About ten o'clock on the morning of April 16 Wash- 
ington mounted his horse and set out once more to serve 
his country. He was not lonesome on this long journey. 
Crowds of people stood by the road-side all the way from 



LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON 171 




George Washington 
First in War, First in Peace, First in the hearts of his countrymen." 



172 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Mount Vernon to New York and greeted him as he 
passed. He was, no doubt, very much pleased; but he 
dreaded the duties of his office as no one had been Presi- 
dent before. 

One sunny afternoon he arrived at the bank of the 

Delaware River where he had 
crossed a few years before 
in order to strike the British 
at Trenton. The scene was 
changed now. It was a 
beautiful spring day. There 
was no wind, no sleet, no 
blocks of floating ice, no inky 
darkness. Instead of all this, 
a great arch had been placed 
on the bridge at Trenton with 
the inscription: ''The defen- 
der of the mothers will be the 
protector of the daughters." 
As he passed underneath the 
arch a number of young girls, 
dressed in white and with 
wreathes upon their heads, 
scattered flowers in his path- 
way while singing an ode expressing their love and grati- 
tude. Washington was greatly touched and often spoke 
in the tenderest terms of the "white-robed choir" at 
Trenton. 

On the 30th of April, and soon after his arrival in New 




John Adams 

John Adams was a school 
teacher and lawyer of Massa- 
chusetts. He helped to draft 
the Declaration of Independ- 
ence and was the first Vice-pres- 
ident and the second President 
of the United States. He was 
a cousin of Samuel Adams. 



LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON 



173 



York, he took the oath of office. Great crowds of people 
came to the inauguration. Services were held in all the 
churches of the city in the forenoon and at twelve 
o'clock the inauguration took place. 

Washington rode to the place of meeting in a coach 




Washington's First Inauguration 

This scene represents the balcony of Federal Hall, New York. It 
was here that Robert Livingston called out: "Long live George 
Washington, President of the United States." 

drawn by four fine horses in beautifully decorated har- 
ness. He was always fond of good horses and his ani- 
mals had splendid care. The head groom was in the 
habit of rubbing the animals with a clean linen handker- 
chief and if he found any dirt the stable boys had to do 
their work over again. 



174 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The white horses were given particular care. The 
night before they were to be driven they were daubed 
with a coat of whiting and then wrapped up for the 
night. In the morning the wrappings were removed and 
the dry paste was rubbed off and their bodies were pol- 
ished. In this way their coats were made white and 
glossy. Their hoofs were blackened and polished and 
their teeth brushed and then they were ready for the 
harness. Washington liked to have everything in good 
style. 

Washington and a few of the men at the inauguration 
stood on the balcony of Federal Hall while thousands of 
people thronged the streets below. When the new Presi- 
dent had taken the oath of ofhce, Mr. Livingston of New 
York stepped forward on the balcony and shouted: 
''Long live George Washington, President of the United 
States." 

The people in the streets sent up a mighty shout. 
The flag was run up and the guns of the harbor fired 
the first presidential salute. This was one of the most 
notable scenes in the whole history of the United States. 

The Capital City 

Every nation must have a capital city. The United 
States did not have a permanent capital when Washing- 
ton was made President. The headquarters of the gov- 
ernment had been placed for the time being in New 
York, then a city of about thirty thousand people. 
Federal Hall, the most beautiful and most artiscic public 



LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON 



175 



building in America, had recently been completed and 
presented to Congress by the city. The architect of the 
building was the same French engineer who, at a later 
time, laid out the City of Washington. The interior of 
the building was beautifully decorated and handsomely 




(J "ft^'^f^^^^ 




Second Inauguration of Washington, 1793 
This took place in the State House at Philadelphia. 

furnished. In this exquisite setting the new government 
of the United States began its career. 

The permanent capital had not yet been located. 
Several places had been mentioned and the new capital was 
much sought after. It was finally arranged that the seat 
of the government should remain in New York until 
1790. It was then to be removed to Philadelphia to remain 



176 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



for ten years. In the meantime, Congress had located 
the District of Columbia, in its present site on the 
Potomac River. 

A good deal had to be done in order to build a capital 

in the wilderness. The 
land was obtained from 
Virginia and Maryland, 
and arrangements were 
made with the farmers 
and others who owned 
it. It was then sur- 
veyed, and Major 
L' Enfant, the French 
engineer who had 
planned Federal Hall, 
was employed to lay out 
the new city. 

The Major did his 
work in a splendid way. 
He provided for broad 
streets, magnificent 
avenues, spacious parks, 
and a great many open 
"squares" and ''cir- 
cles." More than one- 




The District of Columbia 

This map shows the original bounda- 
ries of the District. The land was 
ceded to the National Government by 
Maryland and Virginia. In 1846 the 
land on the Virginia side of the river 
was given back to that state because 
it was not needed by the National 
Government. The Potomac River, in 
this part of its course, is entirely 
within the District. Usually a 
boundary line runs down the center 
of a river, but this is not the case 
here. Do you see any reason for this 
unusual arrangement? 



half the area of the city is now given over to streets and 
parks as against one-fourth of the area in the City of 
Paris. 

The building of the White House, or the home of the 



LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON 



177 



President, was begun in 1792 and the corner stone of 
the great Capitol building was laid by Washington in the 
following year. These fine buildings must have presented 
a strange and ghost-like appearance in the midst of a 
dense wilderness. They were magnificent structures but 
people were obliged to 
wind their way about, 
among the trees and 
slush, and through 
miry paths, in order 
to reach them. 

The President want- 
ed to have the new 
Capital named The 
Federal City, but the 
committee having the 
matter in charge 
named it Washington, 
in honor of the first 
citizen of the Republic. 

A few of the buildings were partly finished in 1800 
and in that year the Capital was moved from Philadel- 
phia to Washington. John Adams was President of the 
United States at the time. Thomas Jefferson was the 
first President to be inaugurated in the City of Wash- 
ington. 

When President John Adams and his good wife Abigail 
moved into the Wliite House they didn't find it a very 
comfortable home. The house was not finished and was 




The White House in 1799 

This picture represents the White House 
a short time before John and Abigail 
Adams moved into it. 



178 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



uncomfortably furnished. Mrs. Adams remarked that 
while they were living in the midst of a dense forest 
wood for fuel was very scarce. 

She did, however, have one convenience which the 
lady of the White House no longer enjoys. She was in 




The White House Today 

This is the home of the President of the United States. It has 
been greatly changed since the days of President John Adams. 



the habit of hanging up her laundry to dry in one of the 
unfinished rooms when the weather outside was not 
favorable for that purpose. 

The Adamses must have noticed a great difference be- 
tween Philadelphia and Washington. Philadelphia was 
a place of 70,000 people and was the largest city in the 



LONG LIVE GEORGE WASHINGTON 179 

United States. It had many conveniences which the 
new Capital could not possibly have. 

Washington has changed very greatly since the days 
of John and Abigail Adams. It is now one of the most 
beautiful Capital cities in the world. Its broad streets, 
smooth pavements, beautiful parks, fine statuary, mag- 




TiiE Capitol Building at Washington, D. C. 

The Senate Chamber is in one wing and the House Chamber in the 
other. Between them is the magnificent dome with its fine paintings. 

nificent public buildings, and artistic private dweUings 
all combine to make it a notable city. 

When you go to Washington you will wish to take a 
ride around the city and visit the Capitol building where 
Congress meets, and the White House where the Presi- 
dent lives. You will also wish to visit the library build- 
ing which contains one of the largest and finest collec- 
tions of books in the world. Rock River Park where the 



i8o THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Presidents like to drive will be found delightful. And, of 
course, you will not miss seeing the great Washington 
monument five hundred and fifty feet high. This im- 
mense shaft was built in honor of George Washington 
from materials furnished by the different states. An 
elevator will take you to the top but you can walk up the 
winding stairway on the inside if you think your legs 
can stand it. 

After having done all this you will wish to take the 
boat and ride fifteen miles down the Potomac River to 
Mount Vernon. Here you will find the delightful home 
place of George Washington with the buildings and gar- 
dens kept much as they were when the father of his 
country loved to ramble about the plantation. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. What is ** Constitution Day "? 

2. Why was Washington inaugurated on the 30th of April 

instead of the 4th of March? 

3. In which three cities has the seat of the Government of the 

United States been located? 

4. Who was the first President inaugurated in Washington, 

D. C? 

5. If you have seen the City of Washington, write a short 

essay about it. 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

L'Enfant Ian 'fan 



CHAPTER XI 



ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON PLANTATION 

There are many great names in American history 
that are not connected with war or poHtics. One of 
these is that of Eh 
Whitney, the school 
teacher and inventor. 
Whitney lived in 
Washington's time 
and invented the cot- 
ton gin. The cotton 
gin is a machine for 
separating the cotton 
seed from the fiber or 
the woolly part of the 
plant. Before Whit- 
ney's time this work 
was done by hand and 
was a very slow and 
tiresome process. 

Eh Whitney w^as 
born in Massachusetts in the year that the Enghsh Parlia- 
ment passed the Stamp Act. He was graduated from 
Yale College at the age of twenty-seven. While in 
college he worked hard at all sorts of jobs in order to get 

i8i 




Eli Whitney, the Inventor of 
THE Cotton Gin 



Ib2 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



money to pay his expenses. This may possibly account 
for the fact that he was not very young when he finished 
his course. 

After leaving college he went to Georgia to teach the 
children of a wealthy planter. For some reason or other 

he did not take up his 
teaching work at once 
but went to live in the 
home of Mrs. Na- 
thanael Greene, widow 
of the famous Revolu- 
tionary General. Whit- 
ney was a natural 
mechanic with an in- 
ventive turn of mind 
and soon began to make 
things. Mrs. Greene 
saw his abiHty and en- 
couraged him to con- 
tinue. 

One day some people who were dining at the home of 
Mrs. Greene were talking about the difficulty of separa- 
ting the cotton seed from the fiber. They also said they 
were sorry that there was no machine to do the work. 
''Apply to my young friend here," said Mrs. Greene, ''he 
can make anything." The men talked it over with Whit- 
ney and he became interested at once. He had never 
seen a cotton seed before coming to Georgia but he was 
willing to learn. 




Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin 

This is the little machine which did 
the work of a thousand persons. The 
gins of the present day are much 
larger and are run by steam or elec- 
tricity. 



ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON PLANTATION 183 

He soon worked out a plan for a machine. He had to 
start on his problem from the very beginning. He pro- 
cured a cotton' plant with the seed in the woolly fiber 
and began to study it. 

He then picked up a few crude tools about the house. 




Whitney's Cotton Gin Somewhat Enlarged 

He made a few others. He had to do much of this work 
by hand. He had to draw his own wire as none could be 
purchased even in Savannah. 

He finally made a simple machine, the principle of 
which is still in use in the South. He had a cylinder 



i84 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



which was made to revolve by means of a hand crank. 
On the cy Under were rows of saw-Hke teeth. When the 
cyUnder was made to revolve it pulled the fibers of cot- 




PiCKiNG Cotton 

It takes a large number of people to pick the fleecy cotton from 
the plant. This is a scene in the state of Arkansas. 



ton through holes in a plate placed a short distance above 
it. These holes would permit the fiber to pass through but 
were too small for the seeds. These were consequently 
scraped off and remained on the upper side of the plate. 



ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON PLANTATION 185 

It was considered a good day's work for a person to 
pick the seeds from a pound of cotton by hand. Whit- 
ney's machine, even in its crude form, could clean a 
thousand pounds in the same length of time. By 
attaching a two-horse power to it it could clean five 
times that amount. The steam gins in the South now 
clean the cotton with wonderful rapidity. 

WHiitney's invention increased very greatly the amount 
of cotton raised in the United States. The production of 
cotton had been held back by the slow and expensive 
process of cleaning it by hand. • The number of acres 
planted to cotton was now increased manifold, and Eli 
Whitney may be looked upon as the father of the cotton 
plantation. It was his invention which made possible 
the great plantations in the South where thousands of 
rollicking negroes pick cotton to be shipped to Europe. 
Whitney's invention in the course of time reduced the 
price of cotton cloth from a dollar and a half a yard to 
a few cents. At this price cotton cloth was placed within 
reach of almost everybody. 

The gin also revived the institution of slavery. It 
made slavery more popular because slave labor was 
necessary to the production of cotton on a large scale. 
Before Whitney made his invention, slavery was gradu- 
ally dying out in all parts of the United States. In a 
word then, it was Whitney's invention, more than 
anything else, that placed "King Cotton" on the 
throne. 

Inventors very often, for some reason or other, re- 



i86 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



ceive very little profit from their inventions. This was 
the case with Eh Whitney. We shall see later the cause 
of this. 

Whitney was naturally very proud of his useful ma- 
chine. Mrs. Greene 
was proud of it also 
and she invited a few 
friends to come to her 
home to see it work. 
They were all delight- 
ed and praised the 
young inventor 
highly. 

In the meantime, a 
young man named 
Miller, who had been 
in college with Whit- 
ney, came to Georgia 
and became the hus- 
band of Mrs. Greene. 
Miller had some 
money and Whitney 
had a valuable ma- 
chine, so the two 




A JMoDERN Cotton Gin 

Compare this giant gin with EH Whit- 
ney's. This one is located in Dallas, 
Texas, a busy and progressive city. 



men went into partnership to manufacture the cotton 
gins, 

Whitney had not yet obtained a patent on his machine 
and so the gin was carefully kept under lock and key. 
He did, however, exhibit it proudly to planters who came 



ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON PLANTATION 187 

from miles around to see a machine which could do the 
work of a thousand men. 

The people evidently liked the cotton gin. One night 
they broke into Whitney's workshop and carried away 
his prize. Soon after this cotton gins, copied after Whit- 
ney's, were at work in different parts of the state. Some 
of them were turned by hand, others by horses or oxen, 
and still others by water power. 

Whitney in the meantime had obtained a patent from 
the government. He then brought suit against those 
who were making use of his invention. He didn't get 
much satisfaction. As a rule he was cheated out of the 
fruits of his labor. People, apparently, preferred to get 
the use of the machine for nothing. He did obtain 
fifty thousand dollars from the state of South Carolina 
and a httle something from North Carolina. But this 
was about all used up in paying the costs of lawsuits. 

In 181 2 he asked to have his patent renewed on the 
ground that he had received little benefit from it. In 
this application he said that the money which he had 
received "did not equal the amount saved by his ma- 
chines in one hour." His application was denied. 

After this he went back home to New Haven, Con- 
necticut, and made a fortune by making firearms for the 
government during the war of 181 2 with England. He 
died at his home in New Haven at the age of sixty. 

Whitney was a benefactor to mankind, but, like most 
inventors, he did not reap much financial profit from his 
labors. 



i88 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Where was Eli Whitney born? Where did he make his 

great invention? 

2. What was the connection between the Cotton Gin and 

Slavery? 

3. What trouble did Whitney have about his patent? 

4. How much cotton could be separated from the seeds by 

hand in a day before Whitney invented the gin? 

5. How much could be separated with the use of the gin? 



CHAPTER XII 

THOMAS JEFFERSON, ** THE MAN OF THE 
PEOPLE " 

The American people took Jefferson into their hearts 
as they have never taken any other statesman until 
Lincoln in these latter days. 

— John Fiske 

We have already made the acquaintance of Thomas 
Jefferson. We recall him most distinctly perhaps as the 
author of the Declaration of Independence. He was also 
the third President of the United States and the first 
President to be inaugurated in the City of Washington. 

Thomas Jefferson was descended from an old Welsh 
family which came to Virginia at a^ very early time — 
before the Pilgrim Fathers landed on Plymouth Rock. 

Thomas was the third child in a family of ten. His 
father, Peter Jefferson, was a leader in the community. 
He was a man of quick intelligence and great physical 
strength. 

Peter Jefferson's family was in very easy circum- 
stances and lived on a farm of about 2,000 acres which 
was tilled by 30 slaves. 

Thomas Jefferson went to the country school near his 

home and was later graduated from WilHam and Mary 

189 



I go THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

College at Williamsburg, Virginia, the second oldest col- 
lege in the United States. Later he studied law and was 
lawyer and farmer at the same time, until he abandoned 
both professions to enter public ofhce. 

When he was twenty-nine years of age he married 
Martha, the daughter of John Wayles, a prominent Vir- 
ginia lawyer. Wayles died soon after and Mrs. Jefferson 
inherited an estate of 4,000 acres with 135 slaves. 

The Jeffersons now had a very comfortable family in- 
come. Even before this inheritance Thomas Jefferson 
had an income of about three thousand dollars per year 
from his law practice and two thousand dollars from his 
land. This was a rather large income for a family in 
Virginia in those days. It might easily have been larger 
but Jefferson, unlike Washington, was not a very good 
business man. He took care of pubhc affairs very much 
better than he did of private affairs. 

Thomas Jefferson, next to Franklin, could do more 
things well than any other man in the history of the 
pubhc life of the United States. He was very successful 
as our representative in Europe; he was fairly success- 
ful as President of the United States; he was a leader 
in education; he was a student of science, hterature, 
and religion; he introduced better methods in agri- 
culture; and as a political leader he was unsurpassed. 
In addition to all of this he was a splendid mathemati- 
cian, an easy writer of good and forceful English, and a 
violinist of considerable ability. 

Jefferson, probably, took a more keen delight in agri- 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE 




Thomas JEiiERSON 

Jefferson was prominent for forty years in the public life of the 
United States. The motto on his seal was "Rebellion to tyrants 
is obedience to God." 



192 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

culture than in anything else. He was always inventing 
things and trying to find better ways of farming. He 
also searched all over the world for new seeds and new 
plants. ''The greatest service," he once said, "which 
can be rendered to any country, is to add a useful plant 
to its culture." Acting upon this idea he brought olive 
plants from France and a new kind of rice from Africa, 
and introduced them into the plantations of Georgia 
and South Carolina. 

Jefferson was also the inventor of the "first scientific 
plow. " Before his time the old wooden plow was large- 
ly in use and farmers were afraid to use the iron plow 
because they thought it would poison the soil and kill 
the crops. Jefferson had no such fear. But it took all 
of his persuasion and influence to induce the farmer to 
use the new and better kind of plow. 

He also imported the first threshing machine ever seen 
in Virginia and carried on experiments with other imple- 
ments of various kinds. 

Jefferson was always very fond of agriculture and liked 
those engaged in it. When he was about to enter 
pubHc ofhce as a young man he said that he would never 
"wear any other character than that of a farmer." 
"Cultivators of the earth," he said, "are the most valu- 
able citizens." At another time he wrote : "Those who 
labor in the earth are the chosen people of God." 

It is rather disappointing to find that, in spite of his 
love for the land, Jefferson was not able to raise more 
than six or eight bushels of wheat to the acre. This, 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 193 

however, was probably more than the average yield for 
the entire state at that time. Agricultural methods were 
very poor and much of the soil had been worn out by 
tobacco crops. 

Jefferson was always working on something which prom- 
ised to be a help to the people. It has been said that 
he "ran riot in schemes for conferring practical benefits 
on mankind." He not only did things himself but he 
encouraged such men as Eli Whitney and Robert 
Fulton who had an inventive genius. 

He also took a very Hvely interest in education, which 
was rather backward at the time, and was the founder 
of the University of Virginia. 

While he liked the farmer he did not care much for 
the mechanic or the manufacturer. He loved the open 
country but he disliked the city. He was plain and 
simple in dress and manners and scorned all show and 
ceremony. He had faith in the wisdom and good sense 
of the masses of the people and always said that they 
should control the government. 

In personal appearance Jefferson was an impressive 
man but by no means a handsome one. He was six feet 
two and one-half inches tall, and muscular as well. 
When he was President he was described as: ''A tall 
man, with a very red, freckled face, and gray neglected 
hair .... He wore a blue coat, green velveteen 
breeches with pearl buttons, yarn stockings, and slippers 
down at the heels, — his appearance being very much 
like that of a tall, large-boned farmer." 



194 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Jefferson grew old gracefully and when he left the 
White House he returned to his beautiful country estate 
called Monticello, situated near Charlottesville, Virginia. 



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Monticello, the Old Home of Thomas Jefferson 

Thousands of people from all parts of the world made 
pilgrimages to Monticello to see Thomas Jefferson and 
possibly to speak a word with him. He died there on 
July 4, 1826 — the fiftieth anniversary of the Decla- 
ration of Independence. During his last illness it was 
his hope that he might be permitted to live until the 
dawn of the 4th of July. 

He died at one o'clock in the afternoon. John Adams 
passed away a few hours later and his last words were: 
"Thomas Jefferson still lives." He did not know that 
his old friend had gone on before. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 195 

Thomas Jefferson lies buried at Monticello and the 
shaft over his grave bears this inscription, written by 
Jefferson himseff: 

"Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the 
Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute 
of Virginia for religious freedom, and father of the 
University of Virginia." 

Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase 

The purchase of Louisiana was a diplomatic triumph of the 
first magnitude. No American negotiators ever acquired so much 
for so little. 

— Allen Johnson 

The territory of the United States was doubled during 
the time that Jefferson was President. By the treaty of 
1783 with Great Britain the western boundary had been 
placed at the Mississippi River. Now Jefferson pur- 
chased from France all of that vast territory extending 
from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and 
to the Canadian boundary on the north. This was 
known as the '' Louisiana Territory." 

In one respect the work of Jefferson was like that of 
George Rogers Clark. Clark added the Northwest 
Territory to the domain of the United States and Jef- 
ferson added the Louisiana Territory. They used dif- 
ferent methods, however. Clark obtained his addition 
by conquest and Jefferson got his by purchase. The 
United States was growing very rapidly for an infant 
nation. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 197 

This territory between the Mississippi River and the 
Rocky Mountains has had a very interesting history. 
It changed hands many times. To begin with, of course, 
it was in the possession of the Indian. He roamed 
over it at will and there was no one to interfere with 
him. After a time, however, the Frenchmen came. Their 
great explorers, Champlain, LaSalle, Father Marquette, 
and others traversed the country from the Great Lakes 
to the Gulf of Mexico and took possession of it in the 
name of the King of France. They set up rude crosses 
and buried plates made of lead with French inscriptions 
upon them in order to hold their claims. That was not 
reaUy a very good way to lay claim to the heart of a 
continent, but that is the way the French did it. 

Sometime later this territory fell into the hands of 
Spain. In the French and Indian war, or the Seven 
Years War, as they called it in Europe, Spain helped 
France against England. As her reward she received the 
Louisiana Territory by the treaty of 1763. 

Not very long after this time, Spain gave the territory 
back to France by secret treaty. So, when Jefferson be- 
came President, France again owned this tract of land 
west of the Mississippi River. 

Why did the people of the United States want this 
great area of wild land? Did they need more land for 
farming? Were they becoming crowded? Had all the 
land been filled which Daniel Boone and George Rogers 
Clark had opened up to settlement? No, these were not 
the reasons. There was still wild land enough for every- 



198 THE^ MAKERS OF AMERICA 

body on the east side of the great river. As a matter of 
fact Jefferson made no attempt at first to purchase all of 
this territory. He simply wanted a small amount of 
land near the mouth of the Mississippi River, where the 
City of New Orleans now stands. 

Now why did the Americans want this land about the 
mouth of the River? Of what use would it be to them? 
It will require some explanation to answxr these ques- 
tions. 

The Americans were now raising large amounts of 
agricultural products to be shipped to Europe. There 
were two outlets for these products. Some of them were 
shipped from ports on the Atlantic Ocean and others 
were sent down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of 
Mexico. 

After the close of the American Revolution the West 
had developed quite rapidly. Many settlers had pushed 
out towards the Mississippi River, following in the foot- 
steps of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton. These men 
cut away the forest, broke up the soil, and raised abun- 
dant crops. They had to get these crops to the market 
and were in the habit of using the Mississippi River for 
this purpose. 

In a single year the farmers of Kentucky, Tennessee, 
and Ohio had sent down the Mississippi River ''one 
hundred and twenty thousand pounds of tobacco, ten 
thousand barrels of flour, twenty-two thousand pounds 
of hemp, five hundred barrels of cider, and as many more 
of whiskey." This "down nver" commerce was increas- 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 199 

ing all the time and was very important to the western 
farmer. It would, of course, have been impossible for 
him to haul his products overland to an Atlantic sea- 
port. 

These products were brought down the river on rafts, 
barges, and small boats of all kinds and then put on 
board large, ocean-going sailing vessels, bound for Europe. 
It was thus necessary to have a place near the mouth of 
the river where goods could be landed and stored until 
the big boats were ready to take them to Europe. For 
this purpose Spain had granted us a ''right of deposit," 
as it was called, or the right to land goods for a time on 
Spanish territory. Now that France owned the land she 
might deny this privilege to the Americans. 

It should be remembered also that France owned the 
land on both sides of the river at its mouth. The Loui- 
siana Territory was not all on the west side of the Mis- 
sissippi. It also included the island on the east side of 
the river upon which the City of New Orleans is located. 

So when it became known that France again owned 
this territory the western farmers were much interested. 
In fact they were greatly excited and made plans to 
seize the mouth of the river by force in case the French 
refused to sell. In their rough-and-ready way they said: 
"Let us take what we want by force of arms and then 
make a treaty with France about it afterwards." 

Jefferson, of course, would rather purchase the land 
than take it by force. Our Minister to France was Mr. 
Robert R. Livingston, who had administered the oath 



200 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



of office to Washington when he became President. 
Jefferson instructed Livingston to buy, if possible, a 
suitable area near the mouth of the river. The great 
Napoleon was at the head of France and Livingston took 

up the matter with 
one of his ministers. 
Napoleon absolutely 
refused to sell a single 
inch of French terri- 
tory in America. 
Livingston could 
make no headway. 
He was up against a 
stone wall. 

Jefferson' then 
appointed James 
Monroe, who later 
became President of 
the United States, to 
go to France and help 
Livingston. Monroe 
had spent some time 
in France and the 
French people were 
a great change took 
Napoleon's 




James Monroe 

James Monroe was President of the 
United States for two terms. It was he 
who told the Europeans that they could 
make no more settlements on the Ameri- 
can continents. He also said that they 
should not interfere with any of the 
governments in America. This is called 
the Monroe Doctrine. 



very fond of him. Suddenly 

place almost in the twinkling of an eye. 

minister met Livingston one day and said to him: 

''Would you care to buy the whole Louisiana Territory- 

and, if so, what price would you be willing to pay for it ? " 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 201 

This question almost took Livingston's breath away. 
Here was land enough for an Empire ''tossed into his 
lap." He had no authority to buy this vast tract and 
no money to pay for it. He knew also that the United 
States didn't really need the whole territory. Monroe 
had not yet arrived and he had no one to talk the 
matter over with. 

Fortunately, Monroe reached Paris on the very next 
day and Livingston obtained some comfort. Even then 
the two men didn't know quite what to make of it. They 
couldn't understand why Napoleon, who had refused 
emphatically to sell a very small piece of land, should 
now offer the entire territory for sale. They thought 
possibly that the French were trying to play a trick on 
them. 

This sudden change on Napoleon's part was fully ex- 
plained sometime later. It was all simple enough. He 
had heard that the English were about to send a large 
army to take the territory from France by force and he 
made up his mind that he would rather sell, or even 
give, the land to the United States, than have it fall 
into the hands of his old enemy England. He could also 
use the money to good advantage in carrying on his 
wars. 

Livingston and Monroe thought the opportunity too 
good to be lost. They concluded to take the risk and 
buy the territory. They did so in a treaty signed April 
30, 1803. In this treaty they agreed to pay France 
$15,000,000 'for the land. 



202 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 






Thus by a few strokes of the pen the western bound- 
ary of the United States was pushed out to the Rocky 
Mountains and the area of the country was doubled. 
The area of the new territory was larger than the com- 




Celebrating the Louisiana Purchase, 1803 

The people were delighted to see the stars and stripes floating over 
the Territory. 



bined areas of Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, 
Portugal, and Italy. 

After the treaty was signed Livingston remarked, 
''We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our 
lives." 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 203 

Lewis and Clark and the Far West 

When you buy a large farm you like to tramp around 
and look it over. President Jefferson had purchased a 
very extensive farm west of the Mississippi River but 
did not know very much about it. Neither did anyone 
else. There were vast stretches into which no white man 
had ever penetrated. Parts of it were not known even 
to the Indians. 

Jefferson presented a report to Congress after the pur- 
chase was made and tried to tell the members something 
about the far-away territory. He had a very difhcult 
time. There was not very much to tell. He pieced to- 
gether all that he could get from books and from the 
stories of travelers. But this was not very much and a 
a good deal of it was not true. He then made up his 
mind to send out explorers and find out something 
definite about his new purchase. 

The men sent on this important expedition were Meri- 
wether Lewis and William Clark, brother of the famous 
George Rogers Clark. 

Meriwether Lewis was a member of a good, old Vir- 
ginia family which had rendered fine service to the 
country. The young Lew^is was a natural hunter and 
explorer even from early boyhood. When he was only 
eight years old he was in the habit of going out into the 
woods alone ''in the dead of night" to hunt with his 
dogs. He did this, too, in all kinds of weather and 
seemed to be as happy in the driving snow as in the 
balmy sunshine. 



204 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



He attended school until he was eighteen and then 
went back to the farm and took a delight in studying 
both plants and animals. 

At the age of twenty he went into the military service 
of the United States and at twenty-three was made a 




Western Exploration 

This map shows the trail of Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition 
to the Pacific Coast. It also shows the two expeditions made by Zebylon 
Pike about the same time. 



captain. He also served for a time as President Jef- 
ferson's private secretary. Lewis was thus well qualified 
to do the task assigned to him by the President. 

William Clark, second in command to Lewis, was 
another Virginian and also a military man. Like his 
brother, George Rogers Clark, he was familiar with the 



THOMAS JEFFERSON '' THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 205 

habits and traits of the Indian and this knowledge was 
of constant use on his western journey. 

Before starting out on their trip across the continent 
the men read everything they could find in regard to the 
country. This, of course, was not very much. 

The two men with their helpers set out and got as far 
as Cahokia on the Mississippi River — the old post 
which George Rogers Clark had captured during the 
Revolution. It was then December (1803) and the men 
found it impossible to go farther until spring. Conse- 
quently they went into camp for the winter in what is 
now the state of Illinois at a point opposite the mouth of 
the Mississippi River. 

Their instructions were to go up the Missouri River, 
cross the mountains, and go down one of the rivers lead- 
ing to the Pacific Ocean. They were also to make a 
study of Indian life and of the geographical features of 
the country. They were to observe the plants and ani- 
mals along the route and write down notes about all they 
saw. They were instructed to take particular notice of 
the number and variety of fur-bearing animals. 

In May of the following year (1804) the men broke 
camp and started up the Missouri River in three boats. 
Before winter set in they reached Mandan, in what is 
now the state of North Dakota. Here they pitched 
camp. 

In the spring (1805) they started up the river again, 
across North Dakota and Montana to the headwaters of 
the Missouri River in the Bitter Root Mountains. 



2o6 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



^ 



They then crossed the ridge (sometimes called the 
''Great Divide") and hunted about for a stream to take 
them to the Pacific. They finally stumbled upon the 
Clear Water River. This brought them to the Snake 




Expedition of Lewis and Clark 

Lewis and Clark passed through some of the most beautiful scenery 
in the world. They were astonished by the wonderful views at 
almost every bend of the river. 

River. Going down the Snake River they came to the 
Columbia and were then on the highway to the Pacific. 
Late in the fall they "saw the waves like small moun- 
tains rolling out in the sea." They had now reached 
the western boundary of the continent and here, on the 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 207 

shores of that ocean which Magellan had crossed many 
years before, and which Balboa had discovered in 15 13, 
they pitched their camp for the winter. 

In the following spring (1806) the party started back 
east but soon divided into two parts. Lewis was in 
command of one- and Clark of the other. In the early 
fall of that year both parts of the expedition reached the 
present site of St. Louis. Here ended one of the most 
noted and valuable exploring expeditions in American 
history. 

Zebulon Pike 

Other men besides Lewis and Clark were roaming over 
the new continent in those days. One of these was 
Zebulon Pike. 

At the time that Lewis and Clark started up the Mis- 
souri (1804) Pike left St. Louis and ascended the Mis- 
sissippi. He pushed on almost to the source of that 
great river and ran up an American flag on a trading 
post in the northern part of what is now the state of 
Minnesota. 

In the following year he went up the Arkansas River 
and finally came to the mountain peak which bears his 
name. He then explored the Rio Grande, was captured 
by the Spanish, and finally made his way to the interest- 
ing old town of Santa Fe. 

Andrew Jackson, the Frontier Statesman 
More important perhaps than any of these frontiersmen 
was Andrew Jackson ''The Hero of New Orleans." 



2o8 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



We have already met Andrew Jackson at the Bat- 
tle of Hanging Rock where, as a boy of thirteen, 
he was fighting for the Independence of the United 
States. 
We find him again in the War of 1812, or the second 

war with Gteat Britain. The 
Creek Indians in what is now 
the state of Alabama had 
been stirred up to attack the 
whites by Tecumseh, the 
famous Indian chief. The 
white men took up arms and 
killed about one-fifth of the 
whole Creek tribe. It was in 
this war that Andrew Jack- 
son won the Battle of Horse- 
shoe Bend on the TaUapoosa 
River. Some of the braves 
fled to Florida and the rest 
ceded a large area of land in 
Georgia and Alabama to 
General Jackson. This 
to white men for settlement. 




Andrew Jackson 

This picture represents the 
''Hero of New Orleans" in his 
old age. He was called "Old 
Hickory" on account of his un- 
bending qualities. 



opened up a vast tract 

and Jackson became a great hero. 

Later in the war he won a still more important victory. 
On January 8, 181 5, he defeated the British in the 
famous battle of New Orleans. The British lost more 
than 2,000 men while Jackson's loss was about 70. It 
is a peculiar fact that this battle was fought after the 



THOMAS JEFFERSON ''TEE MAN OF THE PEOPLE'' 209 

treaty of peace was agreed upon by Great Britain and the 
United States. Jackson knew nothing about this treaty 
and just kept right on fighting. 

A Kttle later we find Andrew Jackson in Florida. 
Florida was in the possession of Spain and had long been 
a thorn in the side of the United States — for two rea- 
sons. The boundary of the territory was indefinite and 
Spain made no attempt to control the Indians and other 
lawless people who were making raids across the border. 
President Jefferson tried to solve the problem by buying 
the territory, but Spain refused to sell. 

In one of his campaigns against the Indians Andrew 
Jackson chased them out of the United States and into 
Florida. While there he captured two forts, St. Mark's 
and Pensacola, in the northwest part of Florida and 
hanged two British subjects who were aiding the Indians 
and stirring them up to make raids on the whites. He 
also hanged two Indian chiefs without a trial. 

Jackson had done a bold act. He had entered Spanish 
territory and had executed two British subjects. John 
Quincy Adams, as Secretary of State, handled the whole 
matter boldly and successfully. He showed that the 
British subjects had no right to be doing what they did 
and that it was necessary for Jackson to put down the 
lawlessness in Florida since Spain was unwilling or un- 
able to do so. 

The result of the whole matter was that Spain sold 
Florida to the United States on Washington's birthday, 
18 1 9, for the sum of $5,000,000. Two years later An- 



2IO THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

drew Jackson became the first American Governor of 
Florida. 

The Florida problem was now solved, and another im- 
mense tract of land was added to the territory of the 
United States. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Why is Jefferson called " The Man of the People "? 

2. Mention three important things which Jefferson did. 

3. What was Jefferson's attitude toward agriculture? 

4. How did we happen to buy Louisiana from the French? 

5. Why was possession of the mouth of the Mississippi River 

important? 

6. Bound the Louisiana Purchase. 

7. Trace on the map the route taken by Lewis and Clark. 

8. Who was Zebulon Pike? 

9. In what way was Andrew Jackson connected with Florida? 

PRONOUNCING LIST 



Napoleon 


na-po'le-iin 


Arkansas 


ar'kan-sa 


Monroe 


mun-ro' 


Rio Grande 


re'6 gran'da 




Santa Fe 


san'ta fa' 





CHAPTER XIII 

THE HIGHWAY, THE WATERWAY, AND THE 
RAILWAY 

The United States had now become a very large 
country. It was no longer limited to the thirteen colo- 
nies strung along the Atlantic coast. George Rogers 
Clark had taken the Northwest Territory from the 
British; President Jefferson had purchased the Loui- 
siana Territory from France ; and President Monroe had 
purchased Florida from Spain after Andrew Jackson had 
invaded that territory. 

It was now necessary to make roads through this vast 
area. People wanted to travel from place to place 
and it was necessary to bring the farmers' crops to 
market. 

The buffalo path and the Indian trail were the earliest 
highways for land travel. A little later the trail was wid- 
ened and straightened and thus made into a highway like 
Daniel Boone's ''Wilderness Road." Still later, the road 
was graded and drained and bridges were made across 
streams. Later still, a few favored roads or ''turnpikes" 
had their surfaces covered with gravel or broken stone. 
Even with these improvements, land travel in the United 
States in the early part of the nineteenth century was 
difficult and painfully slow. 



212 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Water travel was easier and quicker. The rivers of 
the continent became the highways for the explorer's 
canoe and trader's barge. It is difficult to see how the 
early explorer could have made a survey of the continent 
or how the farmer could have gotten his products to 
market without the great rivers. 

There was one great disadvantage, however, in river 
travel. It was very easy to glide down stream but al- 
most impossible to push a loaded boat back up stream. 
This is now easily done by means of steam power. But 
there were, of course, no steamboats in those days. 

Robert Fulton, the Inventor of the Steamboat 

This leads us to the interesting story of Robert Fulton 
and his great invention. Robert Fulton, father of the 
steamboat, was born in Pennsylvania about ten years 
before the American Revolution broke out. He was 
educated in the common schools and later became skill- 
ful in the painting of small-sized portraits. After a 
time he made money enough by his art to buy a farm. 
He wanted this as a home for his mother. 

After seeing his mother comfortably settled in her new 
home, he went to England. Here he studied painting 
under a famous artist. He also became an engineer. 

Just about this time James Watt invented the steam 
engine. Fulton was greatly interested in it and saw 
many of the uses to which it could be put. 

He studied the working of the steam engine when he 
was not painting and began to invent machines to be run 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND ILULWAY 213 

by steam. Among other things he invented a steam 
shovel which was used in digging canals and in making 
the channels of rivers deeper and wider. He also wrote 
papers on the making of canals and similar subjects. 

He then went to France where he lived for several 
years. During this time he 
was very active. He studied 
languages and worked hard 
on several inventions. Among 
other things he invented a 
torpedo which he offered to 
both France and England. It 
was rejected by both countries 
and then Fulton came to the 
United States and took the 
matter up with the officials at 
Washington. Here he re- 
ceived more encouragement. 
It is interesting to note that 
Fulton thought the torpedo a 
more important invention than the steamboat. 

Just at this time, however, he turned his attention in 
another direction. He wished to invent a boat which 
could be propelled up stream at a reasonable rate of 
speed by means of steam power. A great many men had 
tried to do this before Fulton's time but were not suc- 
cessful in a practical way. 

Experiments on the steamboat were made in Europe 
a hundred years before Fulton's time and James Rumsey 




Robert Fulton 

This picture represents the 
handsome face of Robert Ful- 
ton, inventor and painter. 



214 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




and John Fitch, both Americans, had made steamboats 
of rude construction before Fuhon took the matter up. 
No one had yet, however, made a practical steamboat. 
While in Paris Fulton made up his mind that the prob- 
lem could be solved. He went over to Scotland where 
a steamboat was actually running and made a study of it. 

When he came to 
American in 1806 he 
built a steamboat 
which he called the 
Clermont. The vessel 
was 130 feet long and 
18 feet wide and was 
able to carry 160 tons. 
Finally everything 
was in readiness for 
the trial trip on the 
Hudson. The boat 
started off nicely but 
soon stopped. Many people then said ''I told you so. " A 
small repair was made, however, and the little pioneer 
proceeded bravely on her way up the river. She made 
the trip to Albany and back in spite of wind, wave, tide, 
and the remarks of people who said, "The thing cannot 
be done." 

The Clermont soon after began regular trips between 
New York and Albany and was able to make the dis- 
tance of 150 miles in about a day and a half. A Kttle 
later the steamboat, spouting smoke and sparks, was 



The Clermont 

The Clermont was Fulton's successful 
steamboat. It was named from the 
country estate of Robert R. Livingston 
who aided him. Notice the sail. Steam- 
boats for many years also made use of 
the power of the wind. 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 215 

seen on the lakes and rivers of North America. When 
it first appeared the Indians, deer, and buffaloes fled in 
terror into the wilderness. 

About a dozen years after Fulton's invention the httle 
steamboat Savannah crossed the ocean from America to 
England. From that time to this the ocean steamer has 
been an important factor in the world's work. 

Today we honor the name of Robert Fulton while we 
have forgotten those who pointed their fingers at the 
Clermont and called it ''Fulton's folly." 

With the launching of the Clermont on the Hudson a new era 
in American history began. 

— Archer B. Hulbert 



The Erie Canal 

Fulton's invention was a great help to the people of 
the new country. It enabled travelers to make long 
trips with comfort and it also made it possible for 
the farmer to get his products to market quickly and 
cheaply. But, of course, the steamboat could not go 
where there was no water to carry it. 

This led to the building of canals upon which boats 
loaded with passengers and freight were pulled or towed 
slowly along. 

A few canals had been made before Fulton's time but 
the first really great and important one in America was 
the Erie Canal, extending from Albany to Buffalo, a 
distance of 363 miles. 



2l6 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




This water highway is the connecting Hnk between 
the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Men had 
thought and talked and written about such a canal 
for many years before the digging was begun. General 
Schuyler, of the Revolutionary army, said that such a 
canal should be constructed. It was Governor De Witt 

Clinton, however, 
who made the dirt 
fly. For this reason 
the Erie Canal has 
often been referred 
to as ''De Witt 
Clinton'sbig ditch." 
The first steps 
towards the con- 
struction of this 
canal were taken in 
1810 and the pro- 
ject was finished fifteen years later. Governor CKnton 
and others went to Washington and asked the help of 
Congress in the great undertaking. This was denied 
and the state of New York then undertook to carry the 
whole burden. 

During the War of 181 2 the whole matter was 
dropped for about three years. The country had to at- 
tend to other matters. 

Throughout this period the old stage-coach and the 
freight wagons carried passengers and freight from place 
to place as well as they could. One of these wagons 



The Erie Canal 

This map shows the course of the Erie 
Canal from Buffalo to Albany. It passes 
through a beautiful and picturesque part 
of the state and connects several im- 
portant cities. It is a worthy monument 
to Governor De Witt Clinton. 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 217 



took a load of people from New York to Philadelphia, a 
distance of ninety miles, in three days. After that the 
wagon was proudly called ''the flying machine." Auto- 
mobiles now sometimes make this distance in two hours 
instead of three days. 

This kind of travel was slow and expensive and really 
somewhat dangerous. 
Accidents occurred at 
times and occasionally 
the wagons were rob- 
bed in the lonely 
stretches of forest 
through which they 
were compelled to 
pass. So when the war 
was over Chnton again 
urged the building of 
the canal and did not 
let things rest until 
the work was com- 
pleted. He was not at 
all discouraged when 

Congress refused to help. This seemed to make him more 
determined than ever to carry out his plan. 

Clinton was elected Governor of New York in 18 16 
and then, of course, he had more influence than ever. 
He worked on the canal project in the daytime and 
dreamed about it at night. 

Finally on July 4, 181 7, the first shovelful of dirt was 



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The Old-Time Stage-Coach 

The travel was slow and expensive. A 
stage ran from New York to Boston three 
times a week. It took three days to make 
the trip. Sometimes the passengers had 
to get out and push the coach out of the 
mud. The coach averaged about four 
miles an hour. 



2l8 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



thrown up, and the great project was begun. It was no 
small task to push a canal through the wilderness and 
swamps of New York, a distance of nearly 400 miles. 




The Opening of the Erie Canal 

Governor Clinton of New York in the presence of a distinguished 
company of men and women, is pouring water from Lake Erie into 
the Hudson River. 

In Europe the wheelbarrow and shovel were still used 
in canal building but in this work the plow and the 
scraper took their places. Giant machines were also used 
which took trees and stumps in their mighty grasp and 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 219 



tore them from the soil as easily as one could pull a weed 
out of his garden. 

The frozen ground of winter helped the men to haul 
supplies where they were needed. The work, however, 
was very hard and many of the men became ill. 

The wilderness and swamps were also unhealthful. A 
thousand men were on the sick list at one time, suffering 
from fever and ague, 
and for a short time 
the work on the canal 
was brought to a 
standstill. 

After eight years of 
the hardest kind of 
work Clinton, still 
Governor of the State, 
opened the completed 
canal with a big cele- 
bration. A large party 
of people went in 
stately procession 
down the river from 

Albany to New York. At the end of the journey Gover- 
nor Chnton poured into the Atlantic Ocean some water 
which had been taken from the Great Lakes. As he did 
so he declared that the two bodies of water were united 
in marriage. 

The canal cost the state $7,602,000, but has been 
worth many times that amount to the state and Nation. 




Life on a Canal Boat 

Freight and passengers moved slowly in 
the clumsy and sluggish canal boat. The 
passengers, however, had a good visit 
when the weather was pleasant. Notice 
the tow-Hne and the horses on the tow- 
path. 



2 20 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The state collected $8,500,000 in tolls on the canal 
during the first nine years of its existence. Its value in 
connecting the West with the East can hardly be over- 
estimated. 

Although large sums were collected as tolls on the 
canal, the rates were very low. It cost at this time 
thirty-two dollars to carry a ton of goods one hundred 
miles by wagon, while the cost by the canal was only 
one dollar and a half. 

The canal is still running and is just as important as it 
ever was as a highway of commerce. It is opened every 
year in the spring after the ice goes out and boats con- 
tinue to run, or rather to be towed, until the ice comes 
again in the early winter. 

The next time you travel from Buffalo to Albany 
over the New York Central Railway do not fail to get a 
good view of the Erie Canal with its winding course, 
its walled banks, and its lazy, clumsy canal boats. 

The First American Railroad 

The locomotive came puffing along in the United 
States about twenty-five years after Fulton's steamboat 
had frightened the natives along the Hudson River. 
Some men had talked about such a thing a long time 
before Fulton invented the Clermont. They did not call 
it a locomotive, however, but a "steam carriage." The 
present massive locomotive, weighing scores of tons, 
does not look very much like a carriage, does it? 

A short time before Fulton's steamboat was finished a 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 221 

man named Evans had a vision of the locomotive. He 
said: "The time will come when a steam carriage will 
set out from Washington in the morning, the passengers 
will breakfast at Baltimore, dine at Philadelphia, and 







The De Witt Clinton 

This was the first passenger train on the New York Central Rail- 
road. It caused great excitement. Even the dogs, chickens and 
geese were interested. 

sup in New York." It was not very long before this 
was done. At the present time trains run from Washing- 
ton to New York in five or six hours. 

The railroad grew up very gradually and ver}^ slowly. 
The first tracks were laid without any idea of using a 



222 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



locomotive. In a mining district, for example, wooden 
tracks with strips of iron on top would be laid and cars 
loaded with coal would be pushed over them by hand. 

Sometimes horses were used to draw the cars and in 
some cases sails were spread in order to make use of the 

power of the wind. 

Finally, Peter Cooper made 
an engine called the ''Tom 
Thumb, " the first locomotive 
built in the United States. 
The ' ' Tom Thumb ' ' was built 
in a shop near Baltimore. 
In 1 83 1 it made its first trip 
of thirteen] miles out of Balti- 
more in one hour. This was 
a great occasion. The little 
engine drew one open car 
which was occupied by the 
owners of the road and a few 
others. It was a very jolly 
party and all were singing the 
praises of the "Iron Horse." 
The ''Tom Thumb" was 
a great success. Two years before this time a locomotive 
was imported from England but it could not be used be- 
cause it was too heavy for the slender tracks. 

Soon after this time the "De Witt Clinton" made a 
successful trip over the Mohawk Valley Railroad in New 
York. It ran from Albany to Schenectady, a distance 




Peter Cooper 

Builder of the ''Tom Thumb," 
the first locomotive ever con- 
structed in America. 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 223 

of seventeen miles in an hour. This train also carried a 
merry party and there was a fine banquet in Schenec- 
tady that evening to celebrate the event. 

A man who rode on this train wrote an account of the 
journey sometime after. He said that the coaches were 
tied together by means of chains, "leaving from two to 
three feet slack." When the train started the passengers 




An Electric Train 

The electric locomotive is now taking the place, to some extent, of 
the steam locomotive. It is more powerful for the steep grades of 
the Rocky Mountains and is cleaner for use in cities. 

were jerked over backwards and when the train stopped 
they were thrown forward. 

Pitch was used for fuel and the dense black smoke, 
filled with sparks and cinders, poured down upon the 
heads of the passengers. Umbrellas were used for 
protection but these caught fire and burned up during 
the first mile of the trip. After that there was nothing 
for the passengers to do but to "grin and bear it." 

The whole countryside turned out to see the won- 



2 24 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

derful train as it passed by. Many people came in 
wagons and forgot, apparently, that their horses might 
be frightened at the fiery monster. The horses did 
object and many of them ran away in terror. The 
writer expressed the thought that some of them might 
be running yet. 

This was the beginning of the railway system of the 
United States. At first it was used to help out the 
canal and the wagon road. Then it was seen that the 
railway was in many ways the best method of trans- 
portation. It did not cost so much to build a mile 
of railroad as it did to build a mile of canal. The 
locomotive was faster than the canal boat and the 
railroad did not freeze over in the winter season. 
Then too, the railroad could be carried over the 
mountains while the canal could not. Low water in 
the summer and floods in the spring had no terrors 
for the railroad, while they often halted the canal 
boat. 

All of these things recommended the iron horse 
rather than the sluggish boat. It is said that in 1830 
there were twenty-three miles of railroad in the United 
States. There are now about two hundred and sixty- 
six thousand miles — or more than in any other country 
in the world. 

Samuel F. B. Morse and the Electric Telegraph 

Professor Samuel F. B. Morse deserves to be ranked 
with the great inventors of the world. He invented the 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 225 



electric telegraph by means of which we are able to 
send messages thousands of miles in a few minutes. 

Perhaps you have been in a telegraph ofhce or rail- 
road station and have hstened to the clicking of the 
Morse instrument without thinking very much about 
it. It was so very familiar 
to you, and you had heard it 
so many times, that there 
seemed to be nothing new or 
remarkable about it. As a 
matter of fact you were 
listening to one of the most 
wonderful instruments ever 
invented by the brain of 
man. 

Morse was born in Massa- 
chusetts while Washington 
was President of the United 
States. He was graduated 
from Yale College when he 
was nineteen years of age 
and then, like Robert Fulton, 

went to England to study painting. In fact he and 
Robert Fulton studied there ninder the same artist. He 
also did some very good work in sculpture. 

After remaining in England five years he returned to 
the United States and worked as a portrait painter in 
Boston and New York for several years. Later he was 
elected Professor of Art in the University of the City 
of New York. 





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Mi 



Samuel F. B. Morse 

Whenever we send or receive a 
telegram or read the news from 
a distant city, we are indebted 
to Professor Morse. 



226 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

During all this time Professor Morse had been in- 
terested in electricity and had learned a good deal 
about it. One time when coming back from Europe 
he had a conversation with a man who told him about 
some electrical experiments which had recently been 
carried on in France. It was at this time (1832) that 
he got the idea of the electric telegraph. 

He went to work on his idea and a few years later 
he was sending messages in his own room over a mile 
of wire. Morse did not have money enough to con- 
tinue his work and so asked Congress to help him. He 
wanted to build an experimental telegraph line from 
Washington to Baltimore. Congress failed to assist him 
and he worked on and did as well as he could with his 
slender means. 

Some years later the bill for his assistance came up 
again in Congress, but his chances of securing aid 
seemed to be very small. The last day of the session 
came and nearly two hundred bills were on the list 
ahead of his. Morse went to bed that evening with 
a heavy heart and without hope. The next morn- 
ing, however, the cheery voice of Miss Ellsworth, 
the young daughter of the chief of the patent ofhce, 
told him that Congress at the hour of midnight had 
appropriated thirty thousand dollars for his assist- 
ance. 

This was a wonderful help and the line from Balti- 
more to Washington was built. Finally all was in readi- 
ness for the first great test. Then Professor Morse sent 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 227 

from Washington the following message to his assistant 
in Baltimore: ''What hath God wrought?" This was 
the message suggested by the young Miss Ellsworth who 
had brought him the glad tidings. News items of an 
important character were then sent over the wire in a 
rapid and almost magical way. 

As in the case of EH Whitney, men tried to steal the 
profits of Morse's great invention, and he was com- 
pelled to bring many lawsuits in order to obtain his 
rights. 

Morse had made a wonderful and a useful invention 
and was highly honored everywhere. Yale College gave 
him another degree and the King of Prussia, the 
Emperor of Austria, and the Sultan of Turkey, had 
medals struck in his honor. He was recognized in a simi- 
lar way all over the civilized world. He was also given, 
on one occasion, a purse of eight thousand dollars 
in gold. 

In 187 1 a beautiful bronze statue of him was erected 
in one of the parks in New York City. The money 
for this was given by the telegraph operators. The 
poet Bryant unveiled the statue and on that same even- 
ing Professor Morse attended a banquet and reception 
in his honor and sent his greetings to cities all over the 
world. In doing this he made use of one of the old 
telegraph instruments which had seen service on the 
Washington-Baltimore line. 

During this same time Morse was interested in pho- 
tography and made the first "sun pictures," or tin- 



2 28 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

types, ever made in the United States. Some of these 
are still in exist ance. 

Professor Morse closed his long and useful Hfe in 
New York City at the age of eighty-one years. 

Morse's great invention made a wonderful change in 
business. It made great newspapers possible; it helped 
in the management of railroads and the running of 
trains; it helped government business and, in fact, busi- 
ness of all kinds; and it also lifted a great burden from 
the mails. 

It was much easier and cheaper to build telegraph 
lines than to build canals and railroads and soon the 
whole eastern part of United States became a net- 
work of wires. 

It was not so easy to push the lines out to the 
Pacific Coast. In the middle of the nineteenth century 
the famous "Pony Express" carried the mails over- 
land to the Pacific. This means that the sacks were 
carried on the backs of swift horses over the old ''Salt 
Lake Trail." 

In 1 86 1 the Western Union Telegraph Company 
strung the first telegraph wire over the mountains to 
the Pacific Ocean. This was very expensive because 
the line ran over hundreds of miles of uninhabited 
country and had to be protected from Indians and 
buffaloes as well as from wind and storm. The com- 
pany thought at one time of putting the wire under- 
ground. 



THE HIGHWAY, WATERWAY, AND RAILWAY 229 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Tell the story of the Clermont's trial trip on the Hudson. 

2. Trace the course of the Erie Canal on the map. 

3. What do you consider the greatest difficulty which De Witt 

Clinton had to face in digging the Erie Canal? 

4. How was the Erie Canal useful to the people of New York? 

5. For what was Peter Cooper noted? 

6. In what ways were railroads an improvement over canals? 

7. How did steamboats and railroads and the telegraph help the 

country? 

8. Get a telegraph operator to explain the Morse alphabet 

to you. 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Clermont kler'mont 

Schenectady ske-nek'ta-di 



CHAPTER XIV 
THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 

We have watched the rapid growth of the country 
as one great tract of land after another was added 
to the national domain. We are now going to see how 
the Golden Southwest, extending from Texas to Cahfor- 
nia, came into possession of the United States. This 
brings us to the story of 

Sam Houston of Texas 

Houston was another of that unterrified race of 
pioneers which opened up our western country. Vir- 
ginia, as we have already seen, was the mother of 
many of these adventurers. Houston also was born in 
Virginia while Washington was President of the United 
States. While he was still a small boy his family moved 
to Tennessee. Here he came into close contact with 
the Indians, and the Cherokees adopted him as a mem- 
ber of their tribe. 

Houston was an active and a patriotic man and took 
part in the Indian wars of his time. When Andrew 
Jackson fought the Creeks Houston was with him and 
was badly wounded in one of the battles. David 
Crockett, whom we shall meet later, was also in 
Jackson's command. 

230 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



231 



It is in connection with Texas, however, that Sam 
Houston is best known. After leaving the army Hous- 
ton became a lawyer and served in Congress for a while. 
He was also Governor of Tennessee. During a part of 
the time he went to live with the Cherokees and pro- 
tected them from dishonest 
white men. He then went 
to Texas, where he im- 
mediately became famous. 

Texas, at one time, was a 
part of Mexico but the Tex- 
ans were not happy under 
Mexican rule. Most of the 
Texas people were Americans 
and did not like the Mexican 
government. Finally, in 1835, 
they revolted and declared 
their independence of the 
Mexican government, just as 
our Revolutionary forefathers 
did in the case of England in 
1776. 

They had a hard struggle 
but they had brave leaders in Sam Houston, Crockett, 
Bowie, and others. They fought as bravely as any men 
could possibly fight. They also suffered terribly when, as 
prisoners, they fell into the hands of the Mexicans. In 
one case more than 350 of them who had surrendered 
were marched out in hne and shot. 




Sam Houston 

Houston was a sturdy leader 
of men. He might be called the 
''Father of Texas." 



232 



TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



At the Alamo, a fort in southern Texas, one thou- 
sand Mexicans laid siege to one hundred and eighty- 
three Texans. The Texans sent out word that they 




The Battle of the Alamo 

It is no wonder that the Texans took as their war cry "Remember 

the Alamo." 



would neither surrender nor retreat. The Mexicans 
made an attack from three sides and all of the Texans 
with the exception of five or six died fighting. It 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



233 



would have been better for them if they had all died 
in battle as they were massacred soon after, "not a 
man being left alive to tell the tale." The Texas 
people to this day have not forgotten the Alamo. 
A short time later (April, 1836) the two armies met 




Santa Anna a Prisoner Before Sam Houston 

Santa Anna was Dictator of Mexico and Commander of the 
Mexican forces. He was defeated by the Texans ^under Sam 
Houston and others. 

at San Jacinto, near Galveston. The Texans shouted 
their battle cry ''Remember the Alamo" and charged 
on the Mexicans. The Texans killed, captured, or 
routed the entire Mexican Army. Santa Anna, the 
Mexican ruler, was among the prisoners. In this 
battle the Mexicans lost sixteen hundred men, which 



234 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

was twice the entire number under the command of 
Sam Houston. 

This battle decided the contest. The Texans, under 
the able leadership of Sam Houston, had won their 
independence. They set up a httle republic of their 
own and elected Houston their first President. This 
was in 1836. And "the Lone Star Republic," as it 
was called, continued to be independent until annexed 
to the United States with its own consent. 

The Annexation oe Texas 
Agitation for the annexation of Texas began almost 
immediately after independence was won. The Texas 
people were mostly Americans — at any rate their 
leaders were — and the southern men wanted more 
territory for the institution of slavery. These two 
things finally brought about the annexation. 

This question was decided by the presidential elec- 
tion of 1844. James K. Polk, who favored annexation, 
was elected. Henry Clay was his opponent. During 
the campaign the people shouted: 

Hurrah for Polk and annexation, 
Down with Clay and high taxation! 

Just before Mr. Polk took the presidential chair. 
Congress passed a resolution providing for the annexa- 
tion of "the Lone Star Republic." Texas agreed a Httle 
later and became a state in the American Union in 
December, 1845. 

Houston during all of this time favored the union of 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 235 

Texas with the United States and was now elected a 
United States Senator from the new state. A Httle 
later he was chosen Governor and was holding this 
position when the Civil War came on. 

At the outbreak of the war a convention of delegates 
voted that Texas should withdraw from the Union. 
Houston opposed this action with all his power and 
made the greatest speech of his life against it. When 
his state did go out of the Union in spite of his pro- 
tests, he retired from office and refused to take the 
oath of allegiance to the southern Confederacy. This 
was the end of his pubHc career. He died a short time 
after (1863) at the age of seventy.^ 

The Mexican War 

The annexation of Texas led to a war with Mexico. 
Mexico had never really acknowledged the independence 
of Texas. She still claimed that Texas was a part of 
Mexico and was very angry when the United States 
annexed that territory. 

There was also another cause for the war. The 
United States claimed that the Rio Grande was the 
southern boundary of Texas. Mexico claimed that 
Texas didn't extend that far south. The President sent 
a part of the United States army to take possession 
of the disputed strip of land. The Mexicans made an 
attack upon the American troops and the war was on. 
This was in the spring of 1846 — only a year after 
Congress had voted to annex Texas. 



236 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



In about two years the war was over. The Ameri- 
cans won every battle. General Taylor, better known 
as ''Old Rough-and-Ready," crossed the Rio Grande and 
carried the war into the enemy's territory. He met 




General Scott Entering the City or Mexico 

General Scott was sometimes called "Old Fuss and Feathers/' but 
he entered the enemy's capital and practically put an end to the 
Mexican War. 



Santa Anna, dictator of Mexico, and beat him deci- 
sively in the Battle of Buena Vista. As a result of this 
battle all of the northwestern part of Mexico fell into 
Taylor's hands. From this time on, he was known as 
the ''Hero of Buena Vista." 

A Httle later General Scott marched a victorious 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 237 

American army into the City of Mexico, the capital 
of the country, and the war was practically over. 

A treaty of peace was made soon after and Mexico 
was compelled to give to the United States all of the 
land north of the Rio Grande. This included New 
Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts 
of other states, or about eight hundred thousand square 
miles in all. On the other hand the United States 
agreed to pay a large sum of money to the Mexican 
government. 

About the time the Mexican War began the United 
States made a treaty with England and obtained the 
Oregon territory in the northwestern part of the United 
States. This, together with the land obtained from 
Mexico, pushed the boundary of the country out to 
the Pacific Ocean. 

The thirteen infant colonies had now expanded until 
they reached from the Atlantic on the east to the Pacific 
on the west and from Canada on the north to the Gulf 
of Mexico on the south. 

Three Great Frontiersmen 
"Davy" Crockett 

Several other men had active parts in the great 
drama of the Southwest aside from Sam Houston. 
One of these was "Davy" Crockett whom we have 
already met in the war against the Creek Indians. 

Crockett was born in Tennessee soon after the close 



238 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

of the Revolutionary War. His home was a beautiful 
but solitary spot not far from the Great Smoky Moun- 
tains. He never attended school very much but had 
a bright, keen mind. While still young he became a 

skillful hunter and trapper 
and a noted Indian fighter. 
After the Indian troubles 
quieted down, Crockett went 
to Congress for six years. He 
then drifted over to Texas 
and arrived there just in time 
to take part in the fight for 
Independence. 

Crockett fought in the 
Battle of the Alamo and was 
one of the six survivors who 
surrendered at the end of the 
siege. They were promised 
protection but all were 
brutally murdered at the command of Santa Anna. 
Crockett was struck down by a dozen swords. 




David Crockett 



John C. Fremont, "The Old Patheinder" 

Another hero of the Southwest was John C. Fre- 
mont. Fremont was born in Georgia in 1813. He 
was graduated from college at the age of seventeen 
and taught mathematics in the United States Navy 
for two or three years. 

His real work, however, was that of the explorer. 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



239 



He wandered far and wide over the western country 
and was particularly familiar with the California coast. 

When the Mexican War came on Fremont- took a 
hand in the contest and made a conquest of California. 

He had many honors conferred upon him by the 
kings of Europe and the rulers of other countries, but 
he was proudest of all 
of the title which was 
given to him by his 
own countrymen. 
They loved to call him 
The Old Pathfinder. 

He was the first 
candidate nominated 
by the Republican 
party for the Presi- 
dency of the United 
States (1856). He 
w^as defeated but he 
helped to fight the 
battles of the Civil 

War and then aided in getting a railroad across the con- 
tinent. It is interesting to note that this road touched 
some of the trails over which he had tramped in his 
earlier years. 

After his nomination for the Presidency by the 
party which was opposed to the extension of slavery, 
the poet Whittier addressed to him the following 
lines : 




P'remont ''the Pathfinder" 

Exploring Party Crossing the Rocky 
Mountains. 



240 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Strong leader of that mountain band, 

Another task remains, 
To break from Slavery's desert land 

A path to Freedom's plains. 

The winds are wild, the way is drear, 
Yet, flashing through the night, 

Lo! icy ridge and rocky spear 
Blaze out in morning light! 

Rise up, Fremont! and go before; 
, The Hour must have its Man; 
Put on the hunting-shirt once more, 
And lead in Freedom's van! 



''Kit" Carson, the Scout 

"Kit" Carson, whose real name was Christopher 
Carson, was born in Kentucky in 1809 — the year of 
Lincoln's birth. He liked the great outdoors. He was 
never so happy as when enjoying the solitude of the 
forest or the freedom of the plains. He didn't care 
to be cooped up in a house or a schoolroom. 

At the age of seventeen he began his pioneer life of 
adventure. He was a ''trapper on the plains" for eight 
years and a hunter in the forest for as many more. He 
then fell in with John C. Fremont and was his guide 
on some of his trips of exploration. He was well quali- 
fied for this work. He had roamed over a large part 
of the western country. He knew the Indian tribes, 
had learned some of their languages, and as a rule was 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



241 



welcome in their wigwams and tepees. He thus made 
it easy for settlers to follow in his w^ake. 

During the Mexican War he was an officer in the 
"United States Mounted Rifles," and later was ap- 
pointed an Indian agent. 
While acting as agent he 
made many treaties between 
the Indians and the w^hite men. 

During the Civil War he 
saw service both in Indian 
Territory and in the Rocky 
Mountain country and was 
promoted in military rank. 

When he was not hunting, 
trapping, exploring, or fight- 
ing for his country, he was 
engaged in the more peaceful 
and less exciting pursuits. If 
you had been in the West dur- 
ing the ''Gold Days" you 
might have seen the famous 
scout driving a flock of six 
thousand five hundred sheep 
over the Rockies to California. 

''Kit" Carson died in Colorado in 1868 at the age 
of fifty-nine years. He had blazed the way over the 
mountains to the "Golden Gate" and civilization fol- 
lowed after him. 




"Kit" Carson, the Scout 

He belonged to a race of men 
now passed away. He would 
have been an interesting leader 
for "Boy Scouts." 



242 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Sutter's Mill and ''The Forty-niners" 

Oh, my heart is filled with the days of yore, 

And oft I do repine 
For the Days of Old, and the Days of Gold, 

And the Days of Forty-nine. 

About the time that the treaty of peace was signed 
with Mexico, Captain John Sutter, a California pioneer, 




Discovery of Gold in California 

There was great excitement. Americans, Spaniards, Indians, cow- 
boys, hunters and trappers were searching for the yellow particles 
in the mill race of Sutter's mill. 

was building a rude sawmill on his estate on the Sa- 
cramento River. One of his workmen, John Marshall, 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



243 



while walking along the mill race one day, saw some 
yellow particles in the water. Some of these were as 
large as grains of wheat but most of them much smaller. 
He scraped up a few and brought them to the Captain. 
When analyzed the particles proved to be gold. Sutter, 




Emigrants Going West 

They are making camp for the night and are going to have some 
prairie chickens for supper. 

at first, wanted to keep the discovery a profound secret. 
He might as well have tried to confine the golden atmos- 
phere of California in a bird cage. 

The news soon spread to the ends of the earth. The 
"gold fever" was contagious. Men left their occupa- 
tions everywhere and flocked to California in great 
numbers. When they heard of the great discovery 



244 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



they simply dropped their tools, put a few articles of 
clothing into a little bag, and started out. 

They expected to pick up gold in the beds of the 
streams or dig it out of the surface of the earth. Dur- 
ing the summer of 1849 ^.11 roads led to the Pacific 

Coast. By mid-summer it is 
estimated that California 
contained one hundred 
thousand people. San Fran- 
cisco had grown from almost 
nothing to a city of twenty 
thousand. 

The story of Captain Sutter 
is an intensely interesting one. 
He was born in Germany and 
studied in Switzerland. He 
served in the Swiss army for 
several years and then came 
to Missouri and became a 
citizen of the United States. 
Here he engaged in the cattle 
business and drove hundreds 
of animals over the old Santa Fe trail. 

Besides English and German he could speak French 
and Spanish fluently and so could carry on business 
in Mexico or almost anywhere else. He was very 
successful and became known as a great trader all 
through the West. 

Like many others he was attracted by the stories 




Captain John Sutter 

Captain Sutter at one time was 
one of the leading men on the 
Pacific Coast. Although gold 
was found on his property he 
died a poor man. 



TEE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 245 

which travelers told of the wonderful climate, the 
fertile soil, and the natural beauty of the Pacific 
Coast. Accompanied by a few men he set out on a 
journey over thousands of miles of rugged country, 
many parts of which had never been pressed by the 
foot of a white man. 

First he went up to Oregon, then down the 
Columbia River to the coast, and then on to the 
Hawaiian Islands. From these islands he pushed on 
in a purchased freight boat to Sitka, the capital of 
Alaska. Alaska at that time, was owned by Russia. 
After looking about for a time he sailed back to San 
Francisco Bay (1839). There on the banks of the 
Sacramento River he estabHshed a little colony and set 
himself up in business. In a short time he became very 
wealthy. 

Sutter's Fort, as his colony was called, became widely 
known in the West and was visited by many travelers. 
Here they always found cheer and comfort and a hearty 
welcome. Captain Sutter was always ready to lend a 
helping hand to a fellow man in distress. 

In the meantime the Mexicans had heard of Sutter's 
Fort and threatened to drive him out of the country. 
Just at this time, however, the Mexican War came on 
and John C. Fremont appeared at the head of a small 
band of American soldiers and took possession of the 
post. 

We have already noticed that gold was discovered 
on the lands of Captain Sutter in 1848. We would all 



246 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

like, I imagine, to find a vein of gold on our farm or ' 
in our door yard. But the discovery in the case of 
Captain Sutter was little less than a calamity. All of 
his fine estate in CaHfornia was taken away from him. 
It is possible that his title to it was not very good in 
the first place, and yet Mexico had given it to him as 
a reward for mihtary services. Anyway he lost his lands 
and his cattle and died a poor man in Washington, D.C., 
in 1880. 

JUNIPERO SERRA, SPANISH MISSIONARY 

Of names illustrious in the pioneer mission field of America 
none is more renowned than Junipero Serra. 

— Herbert E. Bolton 

Not all the people of the Golden Southwest were 
seeking for gold. Some of them were laying up 
treasures in heaven. This was true of the early Span- 
ish missionaries. Many of these men left fame and 
comfort in the Old World in order "to enter the labor- 
ious and perilous life of a missionary to the savages. 
It was a life that promised little but hardships, disap- 
pointment, danger, to be cut short, perhaps, by a 
death of agony at the hands of those he sought to 
save." 

These missionaries had a lively interest in the spiritual 
welfare of the children of the forest and tried to teach 
them the principles of Christianity. In order to do this 
they learned the Indian dialects and then, by a very 



THE GOLDEN SOUTHWEST 



247 



slow and difficult process, they gave them their lessons 
in religion. 

The missionaries also taught them how to work and 
to play and to live better, cleaner, and more com- 
fortable lives. They taught the Indians new games to 
take the place of more cruel 
ones. They also furnished 
them with a better kind of 
amusements. 

In all of this work Junipero 
Serra, a Catholic missionary, 
was a leader. He was ' ' gentle, 
loving, and selfless." He 
sought no profit for himself. 
He owned no property. He 
lived in a cell very rudely 
furnished and had none of 
the real comforts of life. 

His work was much appre- 
ciated by the Indians. They 
called him ''Father" and loved him as such. They 
mourned his death. ''From far and near, the Indians 
who venerated him came to strew his coffin with flowers. 
And they wept bitterly that their Padre (Father), 
now silent in death, would never again greet them with 
his habitual tender admonition ... to love God." 

All in all, indeed, Serra was the outstanding Spanish pioneer 
of California. 

— Herbert E. Bolton 




Junipero Serra 

Serra was probably the fore 
most Spanish missionary 
America. 



to 



248 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The Spanish missionaries were a powerful influence in 
the early civilization of the Golden Southwest. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Wnere is the Golden Southwest? 

2. Why did Texans remember the Alamo? 

3. What was the "Lone Star Republic"? How long did it 

last? 

4. Who was Sam Houston? 

5. Why did the annexation of Texas lead to a war with Mexico? 

6. Locate: Rio Grande, Alamo, San Jacinto. 

7. Who was "Davy" Crockett? 

8. Why was John C. Fremont called "the Pathfinder"? 

9. Who was "Kit" Carson? 

10. Who were "The Forty-Niners "? 

11. What kind of work did the Spanish Missionaries do in the 

Golden Southwest? 

12. How much territory did the United States get from Mexico 

at the close of the Mexican War? 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Houston hu'stun San Jacinto san ja-sin'to 

Alamo a'la-mo Buena Vista bu'na vis'ta 

Junipero Serra ho-ni'pa-ro sar'ra 

Hawaiian ha-wi'yan 

Padre pa'dra 



CHAPTER XV 

THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 

Daniel Webster, Orator, Lawyer, and Statesman 

Let our object be our Country, our whole Country, 
and nothing but our Country. And by the blessing of 
God may that Country itself become a vast and splen- 
did monument, not of oppression and terror, but of 
wisdom, of peace, of liberty, upon which the world 
may gaze with admiration forever. 

— Daniel Webster 

We ilwe now come to a point where our country is 
entering upon the second great stage or period of its Na- 
tional hfe. Independence has been won, the new form of 
government has been put into operation, and the terri- 
tory has been rounded out from ocean to ocean. The 
Fathers of the Republic have, for the most part, passed 
away and a new set of men have taken charge of "the 
Ship of State." 

One of the most noted of these was Daniel Webster, 
the famous orator, lawyer, and statesman. Webster 
was also one of the most noted students of the Con- 
stitution that ever lived. Washington was the founder 
of the American Union; Webster was the preacher of 

the Union; and Lincoln was the savior of the Union. 

249 



250 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Daniel Webster, America's greatest orator, was bom 
in New Hampshire a few months after the American 
forces had won the battle of York town. He was a sickly 
little fellow and was not called upon to do the heavy 
work of the backwoods farm. He was also the ninth 

child in the family so that 
the elder children were prob- 
ably able to do the farm work 
without his assistance. 

This arrangement gave the 
young Daniel an excellent 
opportunity to play, to 
ramble in the woods, and 
thus to improve his health. 
It also gave him an oppor- 
tunity to study the habits of 
birds and animals, which he 
delighted to do. 

He started to school when 
he was very young and learned 
his lessons easily and rapidly. 
On one occasion his teacher 
offered a pocketknife as a 
prize' to the pupil who could recite the greatest number 
of verses from the Bible. The next day, when the test 
came, Daniel recited verse 'after verse until the teacher 
suddenly stopped him and handed him the prize. He was 
able, apparently, to go on almost without limit. 

Daniel did well in school and continued to grow strong 




Daniel Webster 

America's foremost orator was 
majestic in appearance. 



He 



pleaded for an everlasting union 
of the states. 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 251 

both in mind and body. His physical growth was quite 
remarkable. From a frail child he grew to be a strong, 
massive, and sturdy man. 

He was also a man of noble presence. Thomas Car- 
lyle, the great EngHsh writer, called him "a magnificent 
specimen of manhood." 

His voice was strong and pleasing. When he thun- 
dered forth his great orations he was tremendously 
impressive — so much so, that men came to call him "the 
God-like Daniel." It was said that every word he spoke 
'Weighed a pound." 

He entered Dartmouth College in New Hampshire at 
the age of fifteen and was soon looked upon as a most 
remarkable student. His fine presence and his unusual 
ability as a public speaker made him a marked man. 
While still a student he was invited to give the 4th of 
July oration in the college town. He did this with such 
a display of learning and oratorical ability that he be- 
came famous almost from that day. 

After graduating from college at the age of nineteen 
he began to study law and to teach school at the same 
time. The money which he got for his first year of teach- 
ing he gave to one of his brothers to help him through 
college. 

Politics went hand in hand with law. In 181 2 Webster 
was elected to serve in the Lower House of Congress. 
These were stirring times. The War of 181 2 was on and 
the young man plunged into the thick of the debates. 
The contest became exceedingly bitter and, on one oc- 



252 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



casion, Webster was challenged to fight a duel, but very 
sensibly declined. 
A few years later he was elected to the United States 




/ Webster's Reply to Hayne in the U. S. Senate, 1830 

Webster spoke for four hours on this occasion. Some of the people 
in the galleries came hundreds of miles to hear him. 

Senate. Here was the scene of his greatest triumphs. 
Here he crossed swords in debate with the greatest 
men of the nation, including John C. Calhoun and 
Robert Y. Hayne. 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 253 

Later still he became Secretary of State in the Presi- 
dent's Cabinet. He was also a candidate for the 
Presidency of the United States but was never elected to 
that office. 

Webster's greatest fame, however, is based upon his 
oratorical ability. He spoke on many patriotic occasions 
but his favorite subject was the Constitution of the 
United States. 

He also delivered many able speeches in the courts of 
law and was greatly sought after in important cases. 

His most famous oration is his "Reply to Hayne," 
delivered in the United States Senate ui 1830. Senator 
Hayne of South Carolina in the course of a speech had 
declared that the Constitution was a "compact" or an 
agreement from which any state might withdraw when- 
ever it saw fit. Webster denied this. He claimed that 
the union of the states was everlasting and could not be 
broken. He said that no state could withdraw. 

This debate caused great excitement all over the coun- 
try as well as in Washington. People came from long 
distances to hear the great oratorical gladiators. The 
hotels were filled and the Capitol Building itself was 
crowded to its utmost capacity. People were extremely 
anxious to get a glimpse of the great orators and to listen 
to the persuasive tones of their voices. 

Webster spoke for four hours without manuscript and 
without immediate preparation. The effect was wonder- 
ful. He was tremendously effective in action. "Eye, 
brow, each feature, every line of the face seemed touched, 



254 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

as with celestial fire. The swell and roll of his voice 
struck upon the ears of the spellbound audience, in deep 
and melodious cadence, as waves upon the shore of the 
far-resounding sea." 

Webster continued in pubHc Hfe for more than twenty 
years after his great triumph, and died at his beautiful 
home in Marshfield, Massachusetts, in 1852, at the age 
of seventy years. 

The boundless prairie learned his name, 
His words the mountain echoes knew; 

The northern breezes swept his fame 
From icy lake to warm bayou. 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Henry Clay, "The Great Peacemaker" 

Personally, he was one of the most attractive char- 
acters in our history. 

Henry Clay was another famous son of old Virginia. 
He was born in that state in the midst of the American 
Revolution and, like most country boys of his time, re- 
ceived his early education in an old log schoolhouse. 
His father was John Clay, a Baptist preacher, of fine 
oratorical ability. He died when Henry was quite a 
young boy and left to his wife the task of rearing their 
seven children without sufiicient means. Henry did what 
he could to assist his mother in this difficult undertaking. 
He worked in a drug store for a time and was always 
willing to do anything that turned up. 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 



^SS 



When quite young he began the study of law. About 
this time his family moved to Kentucky. Henry re- 
mained behind for a while but at the age of twenty he fol- 
lowed his family ''to grow up with the West." He then 
opened a law office in Lexing- 
ton. 

Clay entered pohtics as a 
young man and was elected 
to the Kentucky State Legis- 
lature. Soon after this, and 
when only twenty-nine years 
of age, he was appointed to 
fill a vacancy in the United 
States Senate. He was really 
too young to be a Senator but 
nothing was said about it at 
the time. 

Later he was elected to the 
Lower House of Congress and 
was the Speaker, or presiding 
officer of that house, for five 
terms. He made a splendid 
record in this office. He is now looked upon as one of 
the greatest Speakers the House of Representatives has 
ever had. 

He became Secretary of State in the administration of 
John Quincy Adams. He then went for a second time to 
the Senate of the United States where he, Daniel Webster, 
and John C. Calhoun were known as the "Big Three." 




Henry Clay 

This picture represents "the 
mill boy of the Slashes" in 
his old age. 



256 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



He was nominated for the Presidency twice and was 
twice defeated. After one of his defeats he is said to have 
remarked, ''I would rather be right than be President." 




Henry Clay Speaking in the U. S. Senate 

The chamber and the galleries were always crowded when Clay 
spoke. See if you can find Calhoun and Webster in the picture. 

In 181 2 he was one of the so-called "war-hawks" who 
stirred up the country to war against England. England 
at this time was making raids on our merchant ships and 
impressing American sailors into her service. Clay 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 257 

thought that we ought to put a stop to this and to go to 
war if necessary. 

Clay was also one of the great orators of his time. 
He had one of the most pleasing and captivating voices 
ever possessed by a public speaker. He was also exceed- 
ingly attractive personally and his ways were winning. 

He had many nicknames. He was called " the mill 
boy of the Slashes" because he was born in the part of 
Virginia known by that name. The ''Slashes" were a 
great tract of ''marsh land overgrown with bushes." 
Clay as a boy was often seen on horseback carrying his 
grist to the mill. 

He was also called "the great peacemaker" because 
he was able to settle so many bitter disputes in American 
history. Most of these related to slavery. 

After a long and brilliant career Clay died in Wash- 
ington, D.C., at the age of seventy-five. His remains 
were taken from that city to their final resting place in 
Lexington, Kentucky. His memory was honored all 
along the line. In New York a memorial procession was 
held in which a large silk banner was carried bearing this 
inscription : 

Hearts which glow for freedom's sway, 
Come and mourn for Henry Clay. 

If any one desires to know the leading and paramount object 
of my public life, the preservation of this Union will furnish 
him the key. 

— Henry Clay 



258 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



John C. Calhoun 
I am a States' Rights man. 

— John C. Calhoun 

The third member of the ''Big Three" was Jokn C. 
Calhoun of South CaroHna. Calhoun, like Webster and 
Clay, was a lawyer, a statesman, and a student of the 

Constitution. He differed, 
however, in many ways from 
the other two great men. 

Webster exalted the powers 
of the national government 
over those of the states. Cal- 
houn exalted the powers of 
the states over those of the 
national government. '' I am 
a States' Rights man," he 
exclaimed in one of his great 
speeches. And he remained 
so to the end of his days. 

Webster held that the union 
of the states could not be 
broken. Calhoun claimed 
that a state could withdraw 
from the Union at any time 
it wished to do so. When Calhoun's own state, South 
Carolina withdrew, or seceded, from the Union in i860 
the Civil War came on. 




John C. Calhoun 

John C. Calhoun of South 
CaroUna was one of the greatest 
orators and lawyers of the 
South. He was an opponent 
of Webster. 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN ' 259 

Clay looked upon the Constitution and the national 
government in much the same way that Webster did. He 
said, if the union of the states were ever broken he hoped 
he would not live to see the ''heart rending" spectacle. 

Webster was a New England man, while Clay and 
Calhoun were born in the South. 

Calhoun remained during his whole life in his native 
state, while Clay's active life was spent in Kentucky, a 
"border state." 

All three of these men were in the Senate of the United 
States at one time and all three died about the same 
time. Webster and Clay passed away in 1852 and Cal- 
houn in 1850. The three men were intellectual giants 
and took part in some of the most notable debates in our 
history. 

John C. Calhoun was a member of a Scotch-Irish 
family. His father was born in Ireland and was brought 
to America when he was six years old. The Calhoun 
family lived in Pennsylvania and Virginia for a short 
time but soon found its way to the northern part of 
South Carolina. 

Here John was born in 1782 — the year after the sur- 
render at Yorktown. His father died while John was 
still a small boy and the mother and the children lived 
a simple and quiet life on a smaU farm. The young boy 
had very little opportunity of going to school and so he 
roamed about the woods and studied the birds and trees 
instead. 



26o 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Finally when he was eighteen years of age he made up 
his mind to prepare for college. By hard work he was 
ready in two years and entered Yale. He was graduated 
from that institution two years later. He always felt 



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Webster, Clay, and Calhoun 



that his preparation for college was too hasty and not as 
thorough as he would have liked it. This was some- 
thing of a handicap to him in his later life. 

After graduating from Yale he remained in Connecti- 
cut for a while studying law. He then returned to South 
Carolina for the practice of his profession. His career 



THREE GREAT AMERICAN STATESMEN 261 

from this time on is closely connected with the history 
of his native state. 

Like Clay, Calhoun was a "war-hawk" and said in 
Congress that the United States should go to war with 
England to put a stop to the outrages on American ships 
and sailors. 

Calhoun was a Cabinet member, Vice-President of the 
United States, and for many years a member of the 
United States Senate. 

In all of these positions he showed marked ability. He 
is best known, however, on account of his views on the 
nature of the Constitution. These views, as we have 
seen, were the direct opposite of those of Webster. The 
majority of the people of the United States accepted the 
views of Webster, and John C. Calhoun thus found him- 
self ''an advocate of a lost cause." 

He died in Washington, D.C., in 1850 and many pil- 
grims now visit his burial place in the old churchyard at 
Charleston, South Carolina. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. How did Webster and Calhoun differ in their ideas on the 

Constitution? 

2. Where did Daniel Webster go to College? 

3. What was the " Reply to Hayne "? 

4. What did Clay mean by his remark, ** I would rather be 

right than be President " ? 

5. Who were the War-hawks? 

6. What is a *' States' Rights man"? 



CHAPTER XVI 
**THE BLUE AND THE GREY" 

The clashing of the views of Webster and Calhoun 
became general between the North and the South and 
led directly to a great "war between the states." The 
North and the South differed over the slavery problem. 
The men of the North wanted to keep slavery out of the 
new territories and to restrict it in many other ways. 
The men of the South were opposed to all this. They 
felt that they had a right to take their slaves with them 
wherever they went. They also felt that their slaves 
should be protected by law in the same way that other 
property was protected. 

After quarreling over the matter for forty or fifty years 
without coming to any agreement the southern states, 
following the views of Calhoun, withdrew from the 
Union. South Carolina, Calhoun's own state, was the 
first to secede. The others followed soon after. 

The northern states, following the views of Webster, 
claimed that the South had no right to withdraw. Both 
sides felt that they were right and both were very much 
in earnest. They took up arms, and the result was a ter- 
rible and bloody war which lasted for four years. 

262 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 263 

Abraham Lincoln, "The Great Emancipator" 

Abraham Lincoln, known among the slaves of the 
South as ''Father Abraham," was President of the 
United States during this war. 

Lincoln's grandfather owned a farm in western 
Virginia. He was apparently quite well-to-do. FamiHes, 
on their way west, were in the habit of passing the 
Lincoln homestead. They also stopped and talked now 
and then. After a time Lincoln also caught the western 
fever. He sold his farm and struck out with his family 
for the Cumberland Gap and the ''Wilderness Road." 
He was headed for "the dark and bloody ground." 
Lincoln, by the way, was an intimate friend of Daniel 
Boone, the Indian fighter, and Mrs. Lincoln was a cousin 
of the great Daniel. 

A short time after this, Lincoln was killed by the In- 
dians and left his widow and five small children to make 
their way in the world almost unaided. The youngest 
boy, a lad named Thomas, at the age of six, became a 
"wandering laboring boy," picking up a few cents for 
odd jobs wherever he could. Later he was a sort of 
carpenter and worked about wherever he could find 
anything to do. He married Nancy Hanks, a very 
bright and attractive young girl. Nancy was tall and 
frail, delicate in health, and her strength was not equal 
to the hardships of the frontier life. 

The happy young couple set up housekeeping in an old 
shed. "Tom" Lincoln was not much of a carpenter and 



264 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

things did not go well with him. He gave up car- 
penter work and took to farming. About sixty miles 
south of Louisville he built the rudest kind of log cabin. 
It had no floor aside from the earth and contained only 
one room. It had no doors, nor windows, nor pictures 
on the walls. In the midst of these bleak and barren 
surroundings, on the 12 th day of February, 1809, 
Abraham Lincoln, one of the world's greatest men, was 
born. 

This historic log cabin was located on the Rock Spring 
Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky. The original cabin 
has vanished but it has since been rebuilt and is being 
carefully preserved. The old farm has also been pur- 
chased and will be kept in honor of the "First American." 

Things were going pretty well with this pioneer family, 
but Thomas Lincoln had a "wandering foot." He soon 
moved his family to another locality not very far away. 
At this place he built another log cabin much like the first. 
Here the boy Abe and his sister Nancy, two years older 
than he, went to school for a short time. It was to this 
cabin that Abe brought great bundles of spicewood 
branches to burn in the open fireplace. By the light of 
the briUiant blaze he studied his lessons or listened to 
his mother as she read to him. 

A spirit of restlessness again came over Thomas Lin- 
coln and he determined to pull up stakes and move on. 
He had heard great tales of the Indiana country to the 
north. Putting his household goods on a rude raft he 
floated them down a small creek to the Ohio and down 




S] 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 265 

to what is now Spencer County, Indiana. Here he left 
the river, plunged fifteen miles into the forest, and 
selected the site for his new home. 

He then walked back to the old Kentucky cabin and 
brought his family on horseback to the new home in 
Indiana. Abe was seven and Nancy was nine at this 
time. 

It was a weird sight that presented itself to the eyes 
of the young children. "In these woods the children 
saw many strange wild animals. Here was the home of 
the deer and the wild cat, the wolf and the bear. In 
the fallen leaves and undergrowth crept copperheads and 
rattlesnakes, while in the shadow of the trees they saw 
more birds than the little boy and girl could count. 
Stately, solitary cranes waded in the shallow water of 
the creek; overhead were flocks of screaming green and 
yellow paroquets; and in the more open places occasional 
wild turkeys were seen." ^ 

The father and son built a ''half -faced" camp for the 
winter. It was too late in the season (November) to 
build a regular log cabin. This camp was open on one 
side although the thermometer dropped during the winter 
to eleven degrees below zero. A huge bonfire outside the 
cabin was kept burning day and night in order to keep 
the family comfortable and the wild animals from the 
door. 

We can picture the boy and girl as they lay by night 
on the hard earth inside their half -faced camp, with their 
1 Moo res' " Abraham Lincoln." 



266 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



feet toward the blazing fire, and enjoyed the dreamless 
sleep that their tired little bodies had earned, while Tom 
Lincoln, the father, listened to the howl of the storm and, 
hearing the cry of the wolf somewhere in the darkness, 
knew that he must keep up the fire or harm would come. 
It was in this lonely wilderness that frail Nancy Hanks 

Lincoln, the mother of 
Abraham, sickened 
and died. Thomas 
Lincoln and his son 
made a rough coffin 
from slabs of green 
wood and laid her to 
rest in the solemn 
forest. Several 
months after this time 
Abraham succeeded in 
getting a traveling 
minister to come to 
the spot and conduct 
funeral services over 
the grave of his mother. 

For a time Abe went about the country splitting rails 
and doing other kinds of farm work for twenty-five cents 
a day. His sister did housework for the neighbors. In 
the meantime also he was reading stray books and asking 
questions of everybody who could give him any infor- 
mation. He also went to school again for a short time 
and studied his books by the light of the open fire. 




Lincoln the Rail-splitter 

Lincoln was a famous rail-splitter during 
his early life in Illinois. Some of these 
rails were carried in the political parades 
of i860 when he was chosen President. 



THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 



267 



Soon Thomas Lincoln's foot ''began to itch again." He 
had heard stories of the great fertihty of the prairie land 
in Illinois. The tide of immigration was still flowing 
west and again Lincoln joined the great caravan. When 
his ox cart set out it was accompanied by the father, 
his two children, and a stepmother —a wonderful woman 
who had done splendid things for Abe and Nancy. 

Abraham was now twenty-one years of age and six 
feet four inches tall. 
He went to the village 
of New Salem, Illinois, 
worked in a mill, and 
clerked in a store. He 
also made a business 
trip to New Orleans 
on a flatboat and 
while there came into 
contact with the cruelties of slavery. The sight made a 
deep impression upon his mind, and led him to say, ''If 
I ever get a chance to hit slavery, I'll hit it hard." 

While in New Salem he was appointed postmaster of 
the village and was accustomed to carry the letters about 
in his high hat and deliver them to their owners as he 
met them upon the streets. He also ran a general store 
for a time but this venture soon failed, and left Lincoln 
badly in debt. He went to work, however, and quickly 
paid off the debts of his partner and himself. The sum 
was not large but to him it seemed enormous and he 
frequently referred to it as "the national debt." 




Lincoln the Postmaster 



268 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

When he was twenty-three years of age another great 
sorrow came into his Hfe. He met Ann Rutledge, a "fair- 
haired, deUcate girl of nineteen," and fell deeply in 
love with her. He won her hand and was looking fondly 
forward to his wedding day when she was taken sud- 
denly ill and died. He was terribly depressed. One 
night he exclaimed in anguish: ''I cannot forget. The 
thought of the snow and the rain on her grave fills me 
with an indescribable grief." 

Lincoln, however, labored on and finally succeeded in 
gaining a good education. He found an old law book at 
the bottom of a barrel of rubbish and studied it with 
great diligence. He borrowed other books and finally 
when he was twenty-nine years of age he was admitted 
to the practice of law. His joy knew no bounds. He 
felt that he was now well started on his life work. 

Law and politics often go hand in hand, and so it was 
in Lincoln's case. In the practice of law and in business 
Lincoln was so honest and upright that the people every- 
where called him "Honest Abe." This fact, of course, 
helped him in politics. The people felt that they could 
trust him. 

He shot upward rapidly and in the summer of i860 
was nominated by the Repubhcans for the Presidency of 
the United States. He was elected by a large majority 
but his election was the signal for a war between the 
North and the South. 

The southern states said that they would withdraw 
from the Union if Lincoln was elected; and Lincoln was 



"THE BLUE AND THE GREY" 269 




Abrail\m Lincoln 



270 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

pledged, in case of his election, to prevent just that 
thing. 

He pleaded with the southern leaders and tried in 
every way to persuade them not to break up the Union, 
but all to no avail. In his first inaugural address he 
spoke as follows: 

In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not 
in mine, are the momentous issues of civil war. The government 
will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being 
yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in 
Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most 
solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend' it. 

I am loth to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We 
must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it 
must not break, our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of 
memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave 
to every living heart and hearth-stone all over this broad land, 
will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, 
as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. 

Four years later, when the war was nearly over, he 
delivered his second inaugural address. In this address 
he showed, more than ever before, the largeness of his 
humanity. In conclusion he said: 

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty 
scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills that 
it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two 
hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and 
until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by 
another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand 



THE BLUE AND TEE GREY'' 



271 



years ago, so still it must be said, that the judgments of the 
Lord are true and righteous altogether. 

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness 
in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the 




AbkahAxM Lincoln at Gettysburg Delivering His Famous 

Speech 

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall 
not perish from the earth." 

work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him 
who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his 
orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a 
lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. 



272 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



On another occasion Lincoln made a notable ad- 
dress — perhaps the most notable that he ever made. 
In the midst of the war he went to Gettysburg, Penn- 
sylvania, to speak at 
the dedication of the 
National Cemetery. 
The Battle of Gettys- 
burg was the turning 
point of the war and 
had been fought on 
this memorable field 
a few months before. 
A part of the field had 
been set aside as a 
National Cemetery 
and a distinguished 
party, headed by the 
President, went to 
Gettysburg to dedi- 
cate it. 

Lincoln's address on 
this occasion is one of 
the most sublime in 
the English language. 
In closing he spoke as 
foUows: 




Abraham Lincoln Freeing the Slaves 
This statue is in the city of Boston. 



It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task 
remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take 
increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last 



THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 



273 



full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that 
these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under 
God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government 
of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish 
from the earth. 




The death of the 
^' Great Emancipator " 
was a tragic one. On 
the 14th of April, 1865, 
while attending a play 
in a Washington 
theater, he was shot 
by a half-crazy actor, 

named John Wilkes Booth. He died on the following 
day and his death was mourned by the whole civilized 
world. 



The Lincoln iMemorial, Washington, 
D. C. 



Jefferson Davis, Leader of a "Lost Cause" 

When the southern states withdrew from the Union, 
their delegates met at Montgomery, Alabama, and formed 
a Union of their own which they called the Confederate 
States of America. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was 
elected President of the new Confederacy. 

Mr. Davis was at his home near Vicksburg when 
notified of his election. The Capital of the Confederacy 
had been located at Montgomery (it was later changed 
to Richmond, Virginia), and Mr. Davis hastened to that 
place to take the oath of ofhce. 

His journey was like a triumphal procession. He 



274 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



made twenty-five speeches on the way and was welcomed 
in Montgomery with a great ovation. When he got off 
the train the crowd insisted on a speech and he said, 
among other things: "We are now determined to main- 
tain our position. We will 
maintain our rights and our 
government at all hazards. 
Our separation from the 
Union is complete, and no 
compromise, no reconstruc- 
tion, can now be entertained." 
The people of the South 
were not blustering as some 
thought at this time. They 
were most terribly in earnest. 
Strangely enough, Jefferson 
Davis was born in Kentucky, 
only a short distance from 
the log cabin which was the 
birthplace of Abraham 
Lincoln. Davis was a West 
Point man and had fought 
in the Mexican War. He 
served as President of the 
Southern Confederacy dur- 
ing the entire war and was captured by Union troops a 
short time after the contest closed. He was in prison 
for a time, then released on bail, but never brought to 
trial. 




Jefferson Davis 

Mr. Davis was President of the 
Southern Confederacy during 
its entire existence. He was 
born in Kentucky but was a 
resident of Mississippi at the 
time of the Civil War. 



THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 



275 



He wrote a history of the Southern Confederacy in two 
large volumes and died four years later (1889) in New 
Orleans at the age of eighty-one. 

Ulysses S. Grant, ^'The Hero of Appomattox" 

When asked what state he hails from, 

Our sole reply shall be, 
He comes from Appomattox 

And its famous apple tree. 

— Miles O'Reilly 



The two opposing armies in the Civil War were led by 
Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee — two of the great- 
est military comman- 
ders of modern times. 

General Grant was 
a ''Buckeye." He 
was born in 1822, in 
Point Pleasant, Ohio, 
a little village about 
twenty-five miles from 
Cincinnati. A little 
later the Grant family 
moved to Georgetown, 

Ohio, and this place was the scene of the boyhood days 
of the ''Silent General." 

Ulysses was a strong, manly, and self-reliant lad, and 
made himself useful on the farm and in the tannery 
owTied by his father. 




The Birthplace of 
General Ulysses S. Grant 



276 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

The father, Jesse Grant, was fairly well educated for 
the pioneer times and wished to give his son a still bet- 
ter education. So the young Ulysses was sent away to 
school for a time and then made up his mind that he 
would like to enter the United States Military Academy 
at West Point, New York. 

When it became known about the village that Ulysses 
Grant wished to become a cadet at West Point, the 
loafers on the street corners laughed heartily at the idea. 
They looked upon him as a silent, and almost stupid, 
sort of lad without any of the quahties of a soldier. His 
father, however, never lost faith in his son's abihties. 

The next step was to get an appointment to the Acad- 
emy. After some delay, the home Congressman was 
induced to appoint the young Grant to West Point, and 
Ulysses set out for the Academy in high spirits. It 
might be said at this point that his real name was Hiram 
Ulysses Grant. Since the young lad did not particular- 
ly fancy this combination of initials he made up his 
mind to register at the Academy as Ulysses Hiram 
Grant. However, the Congressman making the appoint- 
ment knew that his name was Ulysses and that his 
mother's name was Simpson and, consequently, appoint- 
ed him as Ulysses Simpson Grant — a name which he 
bore ever after. 

Grant didn't have a very good time during his first 
days at the Academy. He was not very well dressed, 
was rather uncouth in appearance, and the older students 
made no end of fun of him. He had, however, put his 
hand to the plow and had no thought of turning back. 



"THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 277 

While at West Point he was a student of about aver- 
age abiUty and soon became known as a fairly good 
athlete and an excellent horseman. After a time he also 
became something of a ''good fellow" and was usually 
ready for a frolic. 

One night a chicken was being roasted in Grant's 
room. This, of course, was against the rules of the Acad- 
emy. An officer suddenly appeared at the door, where- 
upon Grant hurriedly concealed the chicken and stood at 
"attention." The officer entered and Grant saluted. 
The officer then examined the ceiling of the room with 
great care and said: "Mr. Grant, I think there is a 
peculiar odor in this room." "I have noticed it, sir," 
said Grant. "Be careful then that something does not 
catch fire," said the officer. "I wiU, thank you, sir," 
replied Grant with a salute. The interview was over 
and the feast proceeded. 

The four years at the Academy developed the young 
lad to a great extent. He was fairly good in all of his 
studies and especially so in Mathematics and Engineer- 
ing. As a horseman he had few superiors. 

After finishing his course at West Point he was sent 
to the United States Military Barracks about ten miles 
from St. Louis. It was here that he became acquainted 
with Miss Juha Dent, whom he afterwards married. 

About this time the war with Mexico broke out and 
Grant was ordered to Louisiana to prepare for active 
service. He was Quartermaster and was not supposed 
to take part in the battles. On one occasion, however, 



278 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

he mounted his horse and charged with the rest of the 
"boys." It was very fortunate that he did so as the 
Commander needed a messenger to ride back in haste for 
ammunition and reinforcements. He called for a volun- 
teer. Grant responded. "You're just the man to do 
it," said the Commander. "Keep on the side streets 
and ride hard." 

Grant dashed off at a full gallop. At every cross 
street the bullets whizzed by his ears and he swung do\vn 
on the side to put the body of the horse between him 
and the enemy. While in this position he forced the 
animal to clear a wall four feet high. He came to the 
end of his trip in safety and delivered his message on 
time. 

A few years after the close of the war he resigned from 
the army and went back to his father's home. He was 
not very welcome there. His father had begun to look 
upon him as a failure. His father-in-law, Colonel Dent, 
also looked upon him in much the same light. Colonel 
Dent turned over a small farm to Mrs. Grant and 
Ulysses worked hard upon it to support his wife and 
two children. Without a word of complaint he broke 
up the land and built a rude log cabin in the wilderness, 
which was very appropriately named "Ha.rdscrabble." 

His health then began to fail and he went to St. Louis 
in search of lighter employment. He became a clerk in 
in a real estate of^fice but was not much of a success even 
there. His condition was pitiable. He lost his job and 
went out into the streets looking for employment. 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 279 

He finally drifted back to Galena, Illinois, and found 
employment with his father and brothers. Grant was 
at this place when the Civil War broke out and took an 
important part in enlisting men for the army. This 
work gave him a new lease on life. 

He explained clearly to the volunteers what their en- 
listment meant. ''The army," he said, ''is not a picnic 
party nor is it an excursion. You will have hard fare. 
You may be obliged to sleep on the ground after long 
marches in the rain and snow. If you put your name 
down you should know what it means. I intend to 
enhst myself." 

Just as soon as he entered the army he made himself 
felt. He didn't say much but he did a great deal. He 
was not handsome or well dressed and some of the men 
were inclined to make fun of him. One of them, how- 
ever, looked him over very carefully and said: "Boys, 
let me tell you something. I stood close enough to him 
to see his eyes and the set of his jaw. I'll tell you what 
he is, he is the Colonel of this regiment." 

Soon Grant began to take the forts on the Mississippi 
and to open up the river so that "The Father of waters 
could flow unvexed to the sea." Then men began to 
ask, "Who is this man Grant who fights battles and 
wins them?" 

He laid siege to Fort Donelson. His old West Point 
comrade, General Simon Buckner, who was in command, 
asked for terms of surrender. "No terms except micon- 
ditional surrender; I propose to move immediately upon 



28o 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



your works," was Grant's reply. The Fort surrendered. 

This reply electrified the Nation and after that he was 

called ''Unconditional Surrender Grant." 

About this time 
some men began to 
gossip and backbite. 
They sent complaints 
to President Lincoln 
about Grant. The 
President dismissed 
the complaints by say- 
ing, ''I can't spare 
this man; he fights." 
On account of 
Grant's great success- 
es in the West he was 
made commander-in- 
chief of the armies of 
the United States. 
His slogan then was 
''On to Richmond!" 
Grant's presence and 
his vigorous methods 

soon put the army of the Potomac in fine spirits. The 

soldiers often sang: 

Ulysses leads the van. 

For we will dare 

To follow where 
Ulysses leads the van. 




General Ulysses S. Grant 

He is sitting before his tent and has 
been studying maps and military plans. 
He is now, apparently, thinking it over. 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 281 

As commander-in-chief of the Union Armies Grant 
received the surrender of Lee at Appomattox on April 9, 
1865, and the war was practically over. 

A few years later he was elected President of the 
United States and held that office for two terms. 

In spite of his great war record Grant was a man of 
peace. While in London on his famous trip around the 
world he remarked: ''I have never felt any sort of fond- 
ness for war, and I have never advocated it except as a 
means of peace. I was always a man of peace." 

When he deUvered his first inaugural address as Presi- 
dent of the United States he closed with these significant 
words: ^'Let us have peace." These same words have 
since been fittingly inscribed upon his tomb on the banks 
of the Hudson. They are on the side facing the south. 
This is significant, for he never bore any enmity towards 
the South or its people. 

His last days were full of heroic grandeur. While suf- 
fering from a fatal disease he was patient, kind, and 
gentle. While in great physical pain he worked diligently 
upon his book so that he might leave something for the 
support of his wife and family. While in this condition 
his old classmate. General Simon Buckner, called upon 
him and went away with tears in his eyes. Did they 
discuss the incidents about Fort Donelson? 

The end came at Mt. McGregor, New York in 1885. 
In the funeral procession, which took place a few days 
later. General Joseph Johnston and General Simon 
Buckner, of the Confederate army, marched side by side 



282 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

with General William T. Sherman and General Philip H. 
Sheridan, who fought on the other side. "Over the body 
of Grant, the great warrior of peace, the North and the 
South clasped hands in a Union never again to be broken." 

Robert E. Lee, The Idol of the South 

He was thoroughly unselfish; he was swayed only by that 
principle which he had been taught to beHeve, and had ever 
firmly held, that his allegiance to his native state was higher 
than that which he owed to the Union. 

Robert E. Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Con- 
federate armies, was born in Virginia in 1807. He was 
two years older than Abraham Lincoln and fifteen years 
older than Ulysses S. Grant. He was a member of an 
old and illustrious Virginia family and grew up to be a 
fine type of soldier and gentleman. 

Like Grant, Lee was a West Point man. He was an 
excellent student in the Academy and when graduated 
he stood second in his class. At a later time he was 
Superintendent of the Academy for nearly three years. 

In April, 1861, Virginia withdrew from the Union. 
Lee, believing in the right of the state to do so, con- 
sidered it his duty to cast his lot with his native state 
rather than with the Nation. He, therefore, resigned his 
commission in the army and accepted the command of 
the Virginia troops. 

When he took command of these forces he said: 
^'Trusting in Almighty God, an approving conscience, 
and the aid of my fellow-citizens, I devote myself to the 



THE BLUE AND THE GREY" 



2S3 



aid of my native state, in whose behalf alone will I ever 
draw my sword." 

Lee had a terrible struggle before he came to the con- 
clusion that his first duty was to the state rather than 




Confederate Camp in Virginia 

to the Nation. About the time that he made this deci- 
sion he wrote to his sister as follows: 

I had to meet the question, whether I should take part [in 
the war] against my native state. With all my devotion to 
the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American 
citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my 
hand against my relatives, my children, my home. 



284 



TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Lee's decision to cast his lot with Virginia greatly- 
strengthened the Confederate cause. He had made a 
good record in the army, he was a skillful military man, 
a .splendid engineer, and a gentleman of culture. The 

whole South had con- 
fidence in his ability 
as an officer and in 
his integrity as a man. 
His people never had 
reason to change 
their views in this 
respect. 

He was fifty-four 
years of age when the 
w^ar began and had 
been married since he 
was twenty-five to 
Mary Custis, daugh- 
ter of the adopted son 
of George Washing- 
ton. Through this 
marriage he obtained 
possession of ''Arling- 
ton," a beautiful estate opposite Georgetown on the 
Virginia side of the Potomac River. This estate has 
since been intimately connected with the Lee family. 
For a year or so after his appointment he did not have 
a very important place in the Confederate army. He 
looked after the fortifications about Richmond, and was 




General Robert E. Lee, Commander- 
in-Chief or THE Confederate Forces 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 285 

military adviser to the President of the Confederacy and 
to his Secretary of War. In the second year of the war 
he took an active command and was later placed at the 
head of all the Confederate armies. 

On the 9th of April, 1865, as we have already seen, he 
was compelled to surrender his entire army to General 
Grant, from whom he received most courteous and most 
generous treatment. 

Immediately after the close of the war he was elected 
President of Washington College (now Washington and 
Lee) in Lexington, Virginia. He held this position until 
his death in 1870. During the latter part of his life he 
lived in retirement and appeared in pubhc on only two 
occasions. He Hes buried on the old college campus. 
After his death his eldest son took his place as President 
of the institution. 

He was indeed ''The Idol of the South" and the pic- 
ture of General Lee, sitting upon his famous horse 
''Traveler," may be seen in thousands of homes m the 
South. 

General Grant's Right-hand Men 

While General Grant accomplished great things in the 
war he did not do his work alone. On the contrary he 
had most able and vahant helpers. One of these was 

General Willl\m Tecumseh Sherman 

Sherman, like Grant, was born in Ohio. He was also 
a West Point man. When the war came on he was 



286 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Superintendent of a Military Academy which had re- 
cently been established by the state of Louisiana. He 
promptly resigned this position and took his place in 
the Union Army. 

Sherman took part in some of the most important 
battles of the war such as Bull Run, Shiloh, and Vicks- 
burg. His most noted achievement, however, was his 
historic march "from Atlanta to the sea" in 1864. 

Our camp fires shone bright on the mountain 

That frowned on the river below, 
As we stood by our guns in the morning, 

And eagerly watched for the foe; 

When a rider came out of the darkness 

That hung over mountain and tree. 
And shouted: Boys, up and be ready! 

For Sherman will march to the sea! 

The march to the sea was a bold stroke. It was car- 
rying the war into the very heart of the enemy's country 
and much depended upon the success of this project. 
On November 1 1 Sherman cut the telegraph wires leading 
to Washington and prepared to make his plunge. Four 
days later, leaving the City of Atlanta in flames^ he set 
out for the sea with about 60,000 men. 

As the army was starting out from Atlanta one of the 
bands struck up the tune of ''John Bro^vn's soul goes 
marching on." The men caught up the strain and 
sang the chorus ''Glory, glory. Hallelujah" with tre- 
mendous enthusiasm. 



THE BLUE AND THE GREV 



287 



For thirty-nine days the army marched through Georgia, 
living on the country as it went, and spreading des- 
olation on every hand. The people of the state were 
panic-stricken. A message 
from the Confederate Capital 
read as follows: 

Remove your negroes, horses, 
cattle, and provisions from 
Sherman's army and burn what 
you cannot carry away. Burn 
all bridges and block up the 
roads on his route. Assail the 
invader in front, flank, and rear, 
by night and by day. Let him 
have no rest. 

Sherman pressed on, how- 
ever, and on December 24, 
1864, he took possession of 
the City of Savannah. On 
the 26th he sent the follow- 
ing message to President Lincoln: "I beg to present to 
you, as a Christmas gift, the City of Savannah, with 150 
guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about 25,000 
bales of cotton." 

Sherman had accomplished his bold purpose. The 
enemy's country was cut into two parts. The back- 
bone of the Confederacy was broken, and the end of the 
war was in sight. 




General William T. 
Sherman 

General Sherman was the hero 
of the famous march from 
Atlanta to the Sea. 



288 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Philip H. Sheridan 

Another man who did much to win the war was 

Philip H. Sheridan, better known as ^'Gallant Httle Phil." 

Sheridan was the most brilliant cavalry officer of the 




Shkridan's Ride 
"Gallant little Phil" is rallying his men for the victory. 

Civil War. His most noted exploit was in the Shenan- 
doah Valley sometimes called the ''storehouse of the 
South." The valley was also ''the backdoor to Wash- 
ington" and a southern army was threatening the na- 
tional capital from this point. Grant ordered Sheridan 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 289 

to drive out the Confederates and lay waste the valley. 
He was "to destroy what he could not consume." 

Sheridan did his work most thoroughly. He de- 
stroyed grain, barns, and agricultural tools. Mills were 
demoUshed and cattle were driven off. Nothing was 
left. It was said ''that a crow flying over the valley 
would have to carry his own rations." 

But the story does not end here. Sheridan was fight- 
ing in the valley against General Early, a very lively 
sort of individual. General Early suddenly appeared 
from nowhere and threw his men with great force against 
the Union troops at Cedar Creek. Sheridan at the time 
was at Winchester, ''twenty miles away." The Union 
troops retreated in confusion. There was almost a 
stampede. Then occurred "Sheridan's Ride," famous in 
song and story. The little General got word of what was 
happening and turned the head of his famous black 
horse, Rienzi, toward the scene of the battle. 

But there is a road from Winchester town, 
A good, broad highway leading down; 
And there, through the flush of the morning light, 
A steed as black as the steeds of night 
Was seen to pass, as with eagle flight; 
As if he knew the terrible need, 
He stretched away with his utmost speed, 
HiUs rose and fell, but his heart was gay, 
With Sheridan fifteen miles away. 



Under his spurning feet, the road 
Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed, 



290 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

And the landscape sped away behind 
Like an ocean flying before the wind; 
And the steed, hke a bark fed with furnace ire, 
Swept on, with his wild eye full of fire; 
But, lol he is nearing his Heart's desire; 
He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring fray. 
With Sheridan only five miles away. 

He arrived just in time to save the day. ''Come on, 
boys, we're all right," he shouted as he galloped along 
the line waving his hat. "We'll whip them yet and 
sleep in our old quarters tonight." 

Defeat was turned into victory by the personality of 
the great General and the Confederate raids in the 
Shenandoah Valley ceased for all time. 



General Lee's Right-hand Men 

While the Union commanders in the Civil War dis- 
played bravery and marked military skill it must be 
remembered that the Confederate commanders were also 
brave and able men. 

Thomas Jonathan Jackson 

One of Lee's right-hand men was General Thomas 
Jonathan Jackson, better known as "Stonewall" Jack- 
son. Jackson was a Virginian and a graduate of the 
West Point Military Academy. He was probably the 
most peculiar commander in either army. He was 
deeply religious and had the Bible in his tent as well as 



THE BLUE AND THE GREY 



291 



his sword. When the men heard Jackson praying in his 
tent before daybreak they knew that something serious 
was at hand. Jackson was always terribly in earnest. 

He first came into prominence in the Battle of Bull 
Run, one of the earliest battles of the war. In this 
famous engagement one flank 
of the Southern army was 
giving way before the on- 
slaughts of the Union troops. 
A Confederate commander, 
attempting to rally his men, 
exclaimed: ''There stands 
Jackson like a stone wall." 
The men stopped their flight 
and the battle was finaUy 
won by the army of the South. 
The name ''Stonewall" stuck 
to Jackson ever after. 

He was a beloved command- 
er and a true soldier. He 
was accidentally shot by his 
own men in the Battle of 
ChanceUorsville and died of 
pneumonia a few days later. 

Although he was about to enter the Valley of the 
Shadow of Death, his military duties were still upon 
his mind. He was delirious for a time just before his 
death but his active mind was issuing commands to his 
men. He gave these orders: 




Thomas Jonathan Jackson 

"Stonewall" Jackson gave up 
his life for the Confederate 
cause. He was one of the 
right-hand men of General 
Robert E. Lee. 



292 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



Order A. P. Hill to prepare for battle. 

Tell Major Hawks to advance the commissary train. 

Let us cross the river and rest in the shade. 

When General Lee heard of the death of his great 
commander he said that he felt as though his right hand 
had been taken away. 

James E. B. Stuart 

General James E. B. Stuart was a dashing figure on 
southern battle fields when mounted on his spirited mare 

' ' Skylark. ' ' He always wrote 

iv his name J. E. B. Stuart and 

^ his men lovingly called him 

J "Jeb." 

B Stuart was born in Virginia 

P and was graduated from the 

West Point Military 
Academy. He joined the 
Confederate army at the 
beginning of the war and 
served almost to its close. 
He was looked upon by both 
sides as one of the most daring 
ofhcers in the service. 

He was a bold raider — 
quick to strike and get away. He harassed the Union 
army at many points. He would swoop down suddenly, 
burn baggage wagons, take prisoners, and carry away 
mules and horses. He was always swift and alert. 



General J. E. B. Stuart 

*'Jeb" Stuart, as he was called 
by his men, was one of the 
most brilliant cavalry officers 
of the war. 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 293 

His men were usually few in number but they were all 
Virginians who rode their own horses and knew the 
country in which they were scouting. 

Stuart won no great battles but he was an intelligent 
man who rendered a useful service. He was a sincere 
Christian and thoroughly reliable in every way. General 
Johnston once said ''How can I sleep unless he is on the 
outpost?" And General Lee testified " He never brought 
me a fals3 report." On one occasion he rode entirely 
around the army of the Potomac in order to get infor- 
mation for his chief. 

Finally in a battle with Sheridan's men in 1864, near 
Richmond, he was fatally wounded and died soon after 
at the age of thirty-one. His death was looked upon as 
a great blow to the Confederate army — almost as great 
as that of '' Stonewall " Jackson. 

The Close of the War 

The surrender of Lee at Appomattox practically ended 
the war. The two great armies which had fought against 
each other for four years were now disbanded and the 
men went quietly to their homes to take up the tasks of 
peace. The union of the states was restored and both 
North and South have since labored for the common wel- 
fare of a united nation. In 1898 men from both sections 
of the country fought shoulder to shoulder in the Span- 
ish-American War, and at a later time they joined hands 
in the great World War against the armies of the Ger- 
man Government. 



294 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 




t 



''THE BLUE AND THE GREY'' 295 

At the present time there are very few survivors of 
either army. The ranks of the Blue and the Grey have 
been thinned with the passing years. Most of these 
brave men have answered their final roll call. 

By the flow of the inland river, 

Whence the fleets of iron have fled, 
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver, 

Asleep are the ranks of the dead: 

Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Under the one, the Blue, 

Under the other, the Grey. 



No more shall the war cry sever. 

Or the winding river be red; 
They banish our anger forever 

When they laurel the graves of our dead! 

Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Love and tears for the Blue, 

Tears and love for the Grey. 

— Francis Miles Finch 



HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Was the Civil War fought to preserve the Union or to 

abolish slavery? 

2. Why was Lincoln called " The Great Emancipator "? 

3. Lincoln's addresses are written in almost perfect English. 

How do you think he learned to write in this way? 



296 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

4. Find out what you can about Lincoln City, Indiana. 

5. Why did Grant seem to be a failure before the Civil War? 

6. Why was Robert E. Lee *' The Idol of the South "? 

7. In what ways did he show his fine spirit after the war 

was over? 

8. Why was Sherman's ** March to the Sea " important? 

9. Read T. B. Reed's ♦* Sheridan's Ride. " 

10. How did *' Stonewall" Jackson get his nickname? 

11. Tell the story of General ** Jeb " Stuart. 

PRONOUNCING LIST 

Appomattox ap-6-mat'uks Ulysses u-lis'ez 

Galena ga-le'na Shenandoah shen-an-do'a 



CHAPTER XVII 
GREAT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 

When peace came the great industries of the United 
States began to flourish as never before. No other country 
in the world has ever had such a rapid growth in agri- 
culture and manufacturing as the United States has had 
since the Civil War. 

Agriculture, Lumbering, and Mining 

The area of the United States is very large. It con- 
tains more than 3,000,000 square miles, and embraces 
within its boundaries all kinds of soils and every variety 
of climate. It has light sand, heavy clay, and black 
loam. It has the rigorous climate of northern Maine 
and the balmy atmosphere of Florida and CaUfornia. 

This great variety of soil and cUmate makes it pos- 
sible for the United States to produce a corresponding 
variety of agricultural products. The Gulf States produce 
cotton in great abundance. Some of this is manufac- 
tured at home, but a large part of it is sent to England 
and other foreign countries. A wide belt across the 
central part of the continent is largely given over to 

corn and winter wheat. Wool and live stock are pro- 

297 



298 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



duced in the Rocky Mountains country and grain and 
fruits on the Pacific Coast. Dairying and mixed farm- 
ing are prominent in New York and New England. 
Spring wheat abounds in Minnesota and the Dakotas. 
We find lumber in great abundance in the cotton 
states, the central Northwest, and the Pacific North- 
west; and Maine, of 
course is the old 
"Pine tree State." 

Iron ore is found] 
widely scattered over! 
the territory of the 
United States from 
Lake Superior on the 
north to the Gulf of 
Mexico on the south, 
and from Tennessee 
on the east to the 
Rocky Mountains on the west. 

The great coal belt of the United States stretches 
across the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, 
Kentucky, Tennessee Indiana, and Illinois. It would 
be impossible to carry on our great manufacturing in- 
dustries without these immense coal fields — to say 
nothing of heating our homes and cooking our food. 

Large veins of gold, silver, and copper are found in 
the Rocky Mountain region and on the Pacific Coast. 
Copper in large quantities has been discovered in the 
vicinity of the Great Lakes. 




A Coal Miner at Work 
He is undercutting a deposit of coal. 



GREAT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 



299 



^^tt^ 


«8*. . . 


^^^w^^K 


^g«ijS^H^ 


W^^jJUtJ^^^&i 


jiaJ^^^^iL. .jnfe 


Vfm^^^^-- 




-"WM, 


^Hk ^^SLxlUA^li^l 



A Cotton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts 
This huge factory contains thousands of power-looms. 




A Cattle Round-up 

Horsemen round up the cattle on the western plains now and then 
for branding and for sale. 



300 TEE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

Large deposits of oil have been found in many places 
from Pennsylvania on the east to southern California 
on the west. In recent years rich oil fields have been 
opened up in Oklahoma and Texas. 

If you will look at the map on the opposite page you 
will notice the great variety and the importance of 
the products coming from the soil of the United States. 
The area of the country is also so vast that the amounts 




The Tractor at Work 

The tractor is taking the place of the horse on many farms. Almost 
all kinds of farm work can now be done in this way. 



of these products are astonishing. The reports of the 
United States census give some very interesting figures 
in this respect. 

The recent advances in agriculture in this country 
have been largely due to better and more scientific 
methods of farming and to the use of improved farm 
machinery. There is now an Agricultural College and 
an Agricultural Experiment Station in every state of the 
Union, and these institutions are teaching the farmer 
how to fertilize and prepare the soil, how to select and 



302 



THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 



plant the seed, and finally how to care for and harvest 
his crop. These things are vastly better done than in 
our fathers' days. 

Agricultural machinery has also been greatly improved. 
It was a marked advance from the crooked stick to 
the gang plow. There is a vast difference between 
the sickle and the modern reaper or harvester. How 
would you like the task of cutting the grain on one 
of the great wheat fields of the Dakotas by means of 
a sickle? 

Improvements are still being made. The American 
is a very ingenious person. In 1833 a clerk in the patent 
ofhce at Washington resigned because he thought that all 

the possible inven- 
tions had already been 
made. He was greatly 
mistaken. The era of 
invention was only 
just beginning at that 
time. 

The Steel Mills 

Great advances 

have also been made 

in manufacturing. 

Nowhere is this more 

evident than in the steel industry. One of the old 

Emperors said that he found Rome a city of brick and 

left it a city of marble. Our forefathers found the United 




Cleveland Steel AIills 

Iron ore is brought in boats from 
Minnesota and Michigan and made 
into steel in these giant mills. 



GREAT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 303 

States a country of wood and made it a land of brick, 
cement, and steel. 

Steel is the most important item in modern building. 
It is found in skyscrapers, battleships, railways, and 
bridges, to say nothing of machines, tools, and imple- 
ments. The American industrial world could not exist 
in its present form without the use of steel. 

The development of the steel industry has been rather 
recent. Such men as Andrew Carnegie, Henry C. Frick, 
and Charles M. Schwab had a large part in this devel- 
opment. A visit to Gary, Indiana, to Pittsburgh or Beth- 
lehem, Pennsylvania, will readily convince you of the 
magnitude and importance of the steel industry in the 
United States. 

Now what shall we say in regard to the future indus- 
trial development of our country? Is it not likely that 
the next fifty years will show a still more astonishing 
advance in this respect than the last fifty years? Ameri- 
ca's to-morrow is likely to be a very interesting period. 

We have reviewed in this little book the life stories of 
some of the greatest men produced by the United States. 
These men were, in a very true sense. The Makers of 
America. They founded the Republic, fought its battles, 
and carried on its government. They explored the 
wilderness, built railroads, and invented labor-saving 
machinery. They gave their best services unselfishly to 
you and to me. 



304 THE MAKERS OF AMERICA 

These men accomplished great things, partly because 
they were men of abiUty. This, however, does not 
account for it all. They could stick to their task until it 
was completed. The poet Longfellow was right when he 
said: 

The heights by great men reached and kept 

Were not attained by sudden flight, 
But they, while their companions slept, 

Were toiling upward in the night. 

HINTS AND QUESTIONS 

1. Why does the United States produce such a large variety 

of agricultural products? 

2. What are the principal products of your state? 

3. What is the United States Patent Office? 

4. Go through a manufacturing establishment whenever you 

can. Study the operations. 



INDEX 



Adams, John hears James Otis, i6; quotes 
Patrick Henry, 26; Vice President, 172, 
177. 

Adams, Samuel, 33; early life, 34; organizer of 
Revolution, 34; portrait, 35; attends 
Continental Congress, 36; protests 
against Stamp Act, 37; before Governor 
Hutchinson, 39; quoted on liberty, 40; 
British attempt to capture, 40; home 
life, 42. 

Agricultural machinery, 302. 

Agricultural products, 297. 

Alamo, the, 232,238. 

Allen, Ethan, 60. 

Andre, John, 90. 

Appomattox, 281. 

Arnold, Benedict, 78, 80, 81, 90, 98, 99. 

Blue and the Grey, 262. 

Bon Homme Richard, 116. 

Boone, Daniel, 118; boyhood, 120; education, 
120; as a hunter, 120; as a nature-lover, 
121; as jack of all trades, 121; in North 
Carolina, 121; map of Boone's travels 
122; Yadkin River, 122; marries Re- 
becca Bryan, 123; in Tennessee, 125; in 
Florida, 125; to Kentucky, 125; Boone 
fighting Indians, 126; captured by In- 
dians, 127; escapes from Indians, 128; 
death of James Boone, 131; Boone's 
powder horn, 140; adopted by Indians, 
141; Boone's thrilling escape, 141; 
Boone's gun, 142; in West Virginia and 
Missouri, 145; Boone's cabin in Mis- 
souri, 145; in the legislature of Virginia, 
146; leader in the frontier settlements, 
146. 

Boonesboro, 130; life in, 135; threatened by 
Indians, 140; attacked, 144. 

Boston Massacre, 58. 

Boston Tea Party, 57, 59. 

Braddock, 5, 123. 

Buckner, General Simon, 279. 

Buena Vista, battle of, 236. 

Bunker Hill, battle of, 61, 64. 

Burgoyne, General, 77, 78, 79, 80. 

Burgoyne's surrender, 81. 

Burke, Edmund, 56. 



Cabot, John, 4. 

Calhoun, John C, 258, 262. 

Canal boat, 219. 

Capital City, 174. 

Capitol building, 179. 

Carson, Kit, 240. 

Cattle round-up, 299. 

City of Washington, 175. 

Civil War, 275. 

Civil War, close of, 293. 

Clark, George Rogers, 150; plans attack on 
British, 155, 156; Kaskaskia, expedition 
against, 157,159; Gibault, Father, 160; 
Fort Clark, 161; Hamilton, British gen- 
eral at Detroit, 162; Vincennes, 162, 
163; last years, 166. 

Clay, Henry, 234,254. 

Clermont, 214. 

Climate of U.S., 297. 

Clinton, General, 78, 79. 

Clinton, Governor De Witt, 216- 

Coal, 300. 

Coal miner at work, 300. 

Colonies, thirteen, 10; England taxes them, 
10; smuggle goods, 14. 

Colonists, English, 6. 

Colonists' houses searched, 14. 

Columbus, Christopher, 4. 

Concord Bridge, 59. 

Confederate camp in Virginia, 283. 

Confederate States of America, 273. 

Constitution of the U.S., Webster defends, 253. 

Constitutional convention, 84. 

Cooper, Peter, 222. 

Cornwallis, 71, 92, 93, 103. 

Cornwallis' surrender, 83. 

Cotton gin, 182-187. 

Cotton mill, 299. 

Cotton-picking, 184. 

Cowpens, battle of, 92, 100. 

Crockett, David, 237. 

Cumberland Gap, 129, 130. 

Dairying, -oo. 

Dark and Bloody ground, 138, 145. 
Davis, Jefferson, 273. 

Declaration of Independence: Liberty Bell, 
ready to ring, 2; Jefferson reading, 4- 



305 



3o6 



INDEX 



signed by Adams, 40; Franklin discuss- 
ing, 49; Jefferson writes, 49; signing, 65; 
passage, 66. 

District of Columbia, 176. 

Dutch in New Amsterdam, 6. 

Emigrants going West, 243. 
England, hostility grows toward, 6. 
Erie Canal, 215. 

Findley, John, 123, 125. 

First Continental Congress, 25 ; passes Declara- 
tion of Independence, 66; chooses Wash- 
ington as commander, 67. 

Fort Donelson, 279. 

Franklin, Benjamin: reading Poor Richard's 
Almanac, 4; quoted on native rights, 6; 
mentioned, 38; early life, 45; "Balance 
Wheel of Revolution," 46; book shop, 47; 
in England, 48; Stamp Act, discusses, 
49; Declaration, discusses, 49; portrait, 
51; to France for aid in war, 52; helps 
make Constitution, 52. 

Freeman's farm, battle of, 79. 

Freeman's farm, second battle of, 80. 

Fremont, John C, 238. 

French and Indians, 5. 

French and Indian war, map, 55. 

French and Indian War, 122. 

French in the New World, 6. 

Fulton, Robert, 212, 

Gage, General, 39, 41. 

Gates, General, 77, 79, 80, 81. 

George III, 10, 23, 67, 83. 

Gold discovered in California 242. 

Golden Southwest, 230. 

Grant, portrait, 280. 

Grant, Ulysses S., 275. 

Greene in the South, 91. 

Greene, Nathanael, 76, 88-96. 

Guilford Court House, battle of, 93. 

Hale, Nathan, 108-1 11. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 75, 76, 83. 

Hancock discusses the Stamp Act, 37; British 
try to capture, 40. 

Hanging Rock, battle of, 108. 

Harrod, James, 132. 

Harrodsboro, 132. 

Hayne, Robert Y., 252. 

Henderson, Richard, 133. 

Henry, Patrick, 4; early life, 18; indolence, 
19; moral education, 20; marriage, 20, 
keeps a hotel, 20; in a country store, 20, 
21; as a farmer, 21; social life, 21; read- 
ing, 21; lawyer, 22; Parson's cause, 22; 
oratorical powers discovered, 22; in house 



of Burgesses, 22; U.S. taxation, 23; ad- 
dresses Virginia Assembly, 23; law prac- 
tice, 24; attends First Continental Con- 
gress, 25; speech in Richmond, 27; urges 
war, 27; Governor of Virginia, 29; later 
life, 29; Red Hill, 30; helps Clark, 153. 

Highway, waterway and railway, 211. 

Horses, Washington's, 173. 

Houston, Sam, of Texas, 230. 

Howe, General, 61, 68, 77, 78, 79. 

Indians, 6, 124, 126, 128, 131, 135, 141, 144. 
Industries, great American, 297. 
Iron ore, 300. 

Jackson, Andrew, 108, 207-210. 

Jackson (Stonewall), Thomas Jonathan, 290; 

portrait, 291. 
Jamestown, Virginia, 9. 
Jefferson, Thomas, 189; portrait, 191. 
Jefferson writes Declaration, 49. 
Jones, John Paul, 113. 
Junipero Serra, 246. 

Kenton, Simon, 138, 152, 160. 
Kentucky and Tennessee purchased, 134. 
Kentucky, first glimpse of, 126. 
Kitchen of Jonas Clarke House, 41. 
Knox, Henry, 77. 

Lafayette, 75,83. 

Lee, Robert E., 275, 282; portrait, 284. 

Lee's surrender, 294'. 

Lexington, battle of, 41, 59. 

Lewis and Clark, 203. 

Liberty Bell, i, 66. 

Liberty poles, 56. 

Lincoln, Abraham, 263; his grandfather, 263; 
his father, 263; his boyhood, 264; the 
rail-splitter, 266; the postmaster, 267; 
studies law, 268; portrait, 269; elected 
President, 270; inaugural address quoted, 
270; inaugural address, second, 270; 
Gettysburg speech, 272; freeing the 
slaves, 272; Lincoln Memorial, 273; 
Lincoln quoted, 280. 

Livingston, Robert R., 199. 

Log cabin, wilderness, 2. 

Lone Star Republic, 234. 

Long Island, battle of, 68. 

Louisiana Purchase, 19s, 202. 

Louisiana Territory, early history of, 197. 

Lumber, 300. 

Magellan, Ferdinand, 4. 

Maps: French and Indian War, 55; beginning 
Revolution, 63; Erie Canal, 216; Revolu- 
tion in the South, 92; Revolution, latter 



INDEX 



307 



part, 80; showing acquisition of U.S. 

territory, 196; showing industries, 298; 

showing travels of Boone and Clarke, 

122; showing Western exploration, 204. 
Marion, Francis, 100-107. 
Meeting House, New England, i; illustrated, 2. 
Mexican War, 235. 
Mexico and treaty of peace, 237. 
Missionary, Spanish, 246. 
Mississippi River, Jefferson wants land near, 

198. 
Monroe, James, 200. 
Monticello, 194. 

Morgan, Daniel, 77, 92, 96-101. 
Morse, S. F. B., and the electric telegraph, 224. 
Mt. Vernon, 84. 

Napoleon, 200. 
Naval warfare, 116. 
Navy, U.S., 113. 
Nelson's Ferry, 103, 105. 
New Amsterdam, 5. 

Oil, 301. 

Otis, James: portrait, g; early life, 12; op- 
poses King, 14; principles of conduct, 14; 
before the judges, 15; struck by sword, 
16; flame of fire, 16; mentioned, 38. 

Parson's cause, 22. 
Philip, King, 5. 
Pike, Zebulon, 207. 
Pitt, William, 56. 
Planter, Southern, 2. 
Pocahontas, 5. 
Polk, James K., 234. 
Princeton, battle of, 71, 72. 
Putnam, Israel, 62. 

Quebec, fall of, 5. 

Railroad, first American, 220. 

Revere, Paul, 4, 41, 59. 

Revolution, American, 8, 141, 155, 160. 

Revolution, beginnings, map, 63. 

Revolution, end of, 83. 

Revolution, latter part, map, 80. 

Revolutionary heroes, 88. 

Revolutionary War in the South, map, 91. 

Rolfe, John, 5. 

Salt Licks, 134,139. 
San Francisco, 244. 
San Jacinto, battle of, 233. 
Santa Anna, 233. 
Saratoga, battle of, 78. 
Saratoga, surrender at, 82. 
Schuyler, General, 77, 79. 



Scott, General, enters Mexico City, 236. 

Self-government, 8. 

Serapis captured by John Paul Jones, 116. 

Serra, Junipero, 246. 

Sheridan, Philip H., 288. 

Sheridan's ride, 289. 

Sherman, William T., 285. 

Sherman's march to the sea^ 286. 

Slavery, 262. 

Smith, John, 5. 

Southern States, 262. 

"Spirit of '76," 67. 

Stage coach, 217. 

Stamp Act, 48; stamp collector mobbed, 11; 

Patrick Henry, 22; Adams, 37; Hancock, 

37; reading Stamp Act, 38. 
Standish, Miles, 5. 
States rights, 258. 
Steam boat, Fulton invents, 213. 
Steel, 303. 
Steel mills, 302. 
Stewart, John, 127, 129. 
Stuart, J. E. B., General, 292. 
Stuyvesant, Peter, 5. 
Sumter, Thomas, 107. 
Sutter, Captain John, 242. 
Sycamore Shoals, treaty of, 133. 

Tarleton, General, 100, 105, 106. 

Taxation without Representation, 38. 

Taxes, 56. 

Taxes, "Too Much," 12. 

Taylor, Genera 1," 01dRough-and-Ready,"236. 

Telegraph, Morse invents, 224. 

Texas, Anns.xation of, 234. 

Texas, early days in, 231. 

Ticonderoga, 59. 

Tobacco loading, 2; illustrated, 3. 

Tom Thumb, 222. 

Tractor at work, 201. 

Train, electric, 223. 

Travelling by highway, 211. 

Trenton, battle of, 70. 

University of Virginia, 193. 
U.S. Map showing acquisition of territory, 
196. 

Valley Forge, 72, 73, 74- 

War of 1812, 251, 256. 

Warren, Joseph, 64. 

Washington, George: surveying, 4, 54; Brad- 
dock, 5, 59; early life, 54; "Pillar of the 
Republic," 56; covers retreat, 68; crossing 
the Delaware, 69; Washington and La- 
fayette, 82; made President of Constita- 



3o8 



INDEX 



tional Convention, 84; as a boy, 85; as White House, 177, 178. 

a man, 86; as President, i6q; adopting Whitney, Eli, 181. 

new constitution, i6g; First Cabinet, 170; Wilderness Road, 134. 

Inauguration, 170; portrait, 171; passes Wolfe, General, 5. 

through Trenton, 172. 

Water travel, 212. Yorttown, 94. 

Webster, Daniel, 250, 262. Yorktown, battle of, 82. 



Elementary American History and Government 

For 7th and 8th Years 
By JAMES ALBERT WOODBURN 

PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND POLITICS, INDIANA UNIVERSITY 

AND 

THOMAS FRANCIS MORAN 

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND ECONOMICS, PURDUE UNIVERSITY 

The introduction deals with The Old World and The New; 33 chapters 
are arranged in 9 great periods of history; Appendices as follows: Declara- 
tion of Independence, U. S. Constitution, Proclamation of Emancipation, 
Topical Outline by Chapters for the Blackboard, Table of Important 
Dates, Various Statistical Tables. Full sets of questions, and references 
for additional reading at close of each chapter. There are 9 maps in color; 
42 in black and white, abundant half-tone illustrations, many full page. 
New Edition. 535 pp. $1.00. 

The authors seek to explain the America of To-day — its civi- 
lization, its institutions, its traditions — by leading the pupil 
through the various epochs of United States history to an appre- 
ciation and understanding of present-day problems. This point of 
view has dominated the story of each epoch with the result that 
the pupil gets an uninterrupted and continuously developing 
narrative of United States history in which the significant events 
and characters of each period are adequately treated, proper 
balance being given to each. 

While this book is in every respect a complete history of the 
United States, it provides in addition all the national ci\dcs 
necessary or advisable for grammar grades. This is done not 
merely by inserting a certain amount of civics with the history or 
combining the two subjects apart from their connection, but by 
correlating the two. In this way both history and government are 
more forcibly impressed, more easily taught and better remembered. 

The wonderful economic growth of the United States is told in 
four chapters, placed where they belong chronologically. These 
portray the actual life of the people and show national develop- 
ment in a real and Hving way. The European background, so 
necessary to an appreciation of many an important fact in Ameri- 
can history, and the Westward Development which is treated as a 
National Movement, are fully given in vivid style. 

Here only brief mention can be made of the freshness and virility 
of the authors' style, of their fair and impartial attitude toward 
religious and political questions and of the logical treatment, all of 
which has contributed to the popularity and success of the book. 

LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., PUBLISHERS 



Introduction to American History 

(America s European Beginnings) 

FOR SIXTH YEAR 

By James Albert Woodburn, Professor of American History and Politics 
in Indiana University and Thomas Francis Moran, Professor of History and 
Economics in Purdue University. 294 pp. 



In the opening chapter the pupil is given a most interesting 
account of the Eastern Nations. Then he is introduced to 
Greek Hfe and character, and follows the spread of Greek civi- 
lization to Rome. The study of the Romans leads to a study 
of other nations, and, in turn, of the English. 

Great men of the past are made to live in the child's imagi- 
nation. Vivid word pidlures, of the sea fight at Salamis, of 
Alexander's campaigns, of Horatius's Stand at the Bridge, 
stir the interest. 

The chapters on Christianity among the Romans and during 
the Dark Ages prepare for the chapter on " Pilgrims and 
Explorers." In this the pupil sees how the crusades stimulated 
exploration. The discovery of the New World and the rivalry 
of Spain, France, Holland, and England in carving out domin- 
ions are vividly described. The authors leave their readers 
with the English at Jamestown, 1607. 

Throughout, the pupil's attention is constantly drawn to the 
contributions of each of the great nations and peoples to the 
stream of world civilization. 

The principal aim has been to adapt the material of history 
to the sixth-year pupil in such a way that he may acquire the 
historical sense and perpecftive, so that he may feel something 
of the spirit of history and may have an interest in human 
progress and development. It prepares him to take up the 
study of formal United States history with the proper appercep- 
tive basis. 

There are many splendid illustrations, including six full-page 
color pictures. The maps are clear-cut, distind: and complete. 
Pronouncing lists, questions and suggestions for the pupils are 
given at the end of each chapter; and at the end of the book 
there are teachers' aids arranged by chapters. 

LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., Publishers 
55 Fifth Avenue, New York. 



AlEXANDER'S NEW SPELlINfi BOOK 

By GEORGIA ALEXANDER 

District Superintendent of Public Schools, Indianapolis 
The former edition, which was used with unvarying success, has been 
entirely rebuilt to meet the most modern and approved ideas of vocabulary 
and methods of teaching. It is now published as follows: 

Grades 3, 4 Grades 5, 6 

Grades 3, 4, and 5 Grades 7, 8, and Advanced 

Grades 6, 7, and 8 Grades 3-8 

This speller teaches spelling t^rtm^fttnferesf. There is constant variety 
in the presentation of new words and in drill, and to further insure inter- 
est, the lessons have been purposely made short; and the words and lessons 
very carefully graded. The deadening effect of approaching the spelling 
lesson each day in the same way is avoided by sometimes introducing the 
words to be learned in connection with the quotations from standard 
authors and model letters from celebrated men and women; sometimes 
in connection with elliptical exercises from classic fables and proverbs and 
not infrequently through the study of a picture. 

VOCABULARY AND ARRANGEMENT 

The common words of everyday usage alone are taught. These are 
purposely distributed so that each word invites to fresh attack and is 
therefore remembered as an individual. They are not arranged in the 
sin, vrin, gin, ace, mace, lace fashion. Homonyms are brought together in 
review lists, or after they have been learned separately. Column words 
are so arranged that the words brought together present an associated 
meaning or relation which readily lends itself to the formation of easy 
original sentences. 

Daily incentive is also given the child to increase his own vocabulary 
by exercises in the use of the dictionary, word study, word building, word 
analysis, and etymology. 

CONTENT BEFORE FORM 

There is a thought basis for each lesson, so that the meaning of a word 
is developed before the child is required to learn the letters. After inter- 
est in a word has been aroused, the child's mind is concentrated upon the 
peculiarity of its spelling and appealed to through all possible avenues — 
the eye, the ear, and the hand. The image formed is thus so strong that 
it becomes individual, even personal. As a final test, the child is required, 
to use his spelling words in original work. 

MEASURING SCALE IN SPELLING 

In the edition containing Grades 3-8 is a Measuring Scale for Ability in 
Spelling by Dr. Leonard P. Ayres of the Russell Sage Foundation. This 
consists of lists of words with the per cent of correct spellings to be expected 
among the children of different grades. The teacher can thus locate a child's 
spelling ability in terms of grades. 

LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., PUBLISHERS 



THE HORACE MANN READERS 

By Walter L. Hervey, Ph.D., Member of Board 
of Examiners, New York City; formerly President 
of Teachers College; and Melvin Hix, B.S., Princi- 
pal of P. S. No 43, Queens, New York City. 

A new series of basal readers shaped by these controlling 
ideas: personal interest on the part of children in the doings 
of children of their own age; personal hunger for stories 
having continuity, development and variety; and the de- 
velopment of a personal power of satisfying the literary 
appetite. The selections are almost entirely new. 

This material is varied, and was selected because of its 
intrinsic interest — action, appeal to self -activity. The lessons 
are not mere collections of words and sentences, but have 
continuity of thought. The pictures being adapted to the text, 
are distinct aids in teaching children to read. The helps to 
teachers are varied, time-saving, practical. The method is 
simple, effective, original. 

Each book is fully illustrated with black and white pic- 
tures and several colored illustrations. 

Primer Teacher's Edition, New Primer 

New Primer Teacher's Edition, New First Reader 

First Reader Teacher's Manual, First Year 

New First Reader Teacher's Manual, Second Year 

Second Reader Teacher's Manual, Third Year 

JJurth^R^ader ADDITIONAL BOOKS 

Fifth Reader Practice Primer 

Sixth Reader Introductory Second Reader 

Seventh Reader Introductory Third Reader 

Eighth Reader Introductory Fourth Reader 

In the edition and the manual for teachers, every step of 
each day's lesson is planned and explained. 



LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO., Publishers 
55 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK 



